Mitigation
by Mr. Skiperdoo
Summary: Time and effort goes into the creation of certain projects; such as the one to create the dumbest and smartest A.I. possible. But when Ryan Leake, your everyday student, is recruited to fill a spot to aid in that creation, he finds Aperture has more to offer than mere scientific achievement.
1. Shanghai!

Author's note: **Ok ok ok, just for clarification, this is not a story about magical gnomes reclaiming lost ancient relics. If you are looking for such a story… no… I really don't know where to look… but you sure won't find it in a Portal fanfiction! So if you want a story about the great gnome tribes of Ruymularthia, good luck, because ya won't find it here! But this story contains no such content. Besides, such stories often involve great acts of heroism, romance, and even some pretty solid action. In case you're interested, you should go check out the beautiful ideas contained within the internet! Just explore the vast depths of knowledge contained on the world wide web of information! My God! Get outside! Explore the universe! Make new discoveries about the world around us, how it effects our lives and how we live! Find out why and how we should advance ourselves as human beings! Please! Please do anything productive! Anything but waste your time reading fanfictions on the internet. There is so much more the world has to offer than a laptop in your office, a library to visit, or even huddled in the basement of your grandmother's house. There is so much that you're missing out on! Your family needs you! **

**Really? You're still reading this? Fine… enjoy I guess… you sick, heartless…**

****~X~X~X~X~X~

"And that class… is why string commands are so important." The proud professor raised his fist up to meet his head.

The bored and tired class yawned and stretched as they could all tell class was about to end soon.

"And whether or not you're dealing with a linear function is beyond me. But as long as you keep trying… and keep pairing those functions…" The professor laid his hands out on his desk. "You're A.I. will thank you."

Staring at the drained group of at least 30, the professor took a deep breath, and softly but loudly uttered the words: "Class dismissed."

Instantly, the class rose to their feet, grabbed their books and bags, and speedily made their way towards the door.

"Don't forget to write your papers on how the human mind can be replicated through the use of machines!" The eager professor raised his finger as he spoke to the bustling crowd.

It was clear most of the students wanted to get out of there as fast as they could, something the professor would often take personally. However, today's lecture was understandably tedious; even he felt like falling asleep in the middle of class. Teaching a bunch of young adults about string commands isn't the best way to keep them alert, as he learned today.

He watched as the students bottlenecked themselves out of the door, paying no attention to him as he reminded them of their current assignments. Eventually, the mass of bodies were able to exit the classroom… all except for one that is.

The professor moved over towards his suitcases which were filled with a heavy mixture of assignments, grades, and reports. He paid idle attention to the student watching him from across the room; trying not to make eye contact but still acknowledging his existence. However, once he saw the student approach him, he knew there was no backing out of a conversation.

"Uh… Professor Morrison?"

The calm professor packed the last paper into his suitcase. "Yes ?"

The student looked around the room, even though he'd seen the environment many times before, his eyes searched everywhere as if he'd never been there before. "Well I… kinda wanted to talk."

Professor Morrison picked up his suitcase, and with a decent pace, headed for the door. "About what?" he asked, placing his suitcase on the wooden floor in order to see if the door was still open.

Ryan jumped in front of the door. If it opened, they'd be exposed to the busy outside world, and at this moment, privacy was essential. "I wanted to ask about the systems. But specifically, I want to know…" Ryan scratched his head. He needed to find the right wording to use. He took another deep breath as he continued. "I'm very interested in the field, and I'd like to learn more about it and pursue it further. But one lingering problem is…" he shook his head and gave a wide shrug. "I don't have any idea how I'll be able to use it…"

"You mean…"

"I don't want to be programming enemy A.I. for video games the rest of my life. I need something to push me further than that, something that puts me at the top of the field." Ryan said, watching as the professor slowly headed back towards his desk. "I want to know how… or where I could find such an opportunity."

Professor Morrison nodded his head. These were clearly words he wanted to hear. He grabbed his chin as he opened one of the desk's drawers. "I see." He said, taking out one of Ryan's old assignments. This one happened to be an essay on how reasoning and logic could be implemented into robotic systems. There were many other papers regarding similar issues, but this one he liked in particular. He'd copied this one at least ten times, studied it, and examined it thoroughly. Ryan was possibly the best student he'd ever had; his information and ideas were top notch, and the way he wrote his papers sparked thought within the reader. "And why may I ask would you like to do?"

Ryan stared back at the professor. "A.I. has always intrigued me. So much that I want to learn and discover more about it for the rest of my life." He said, wondering if the professor was even listening.

The professor returned to his conversation, placing the old assignment away inside the desk. "Intrigued you huh… well it just so happens that I…" The professor trailed off. He practically slapped himself for almost releasing the information to the student, even though he knew he may be able to handle it.

"Ryan… you may very well be the best student I've ever had. However…" Professor Morrison looked back down to the ground. He sighed as he shook his head once more. "How much would you really like to know?"

Ryan's hand made swift contact with the professor's table. This caught both of their attention.

"I want to know everything."

The professor slowly descended into a controlled fit of laughter. But it wasn't a silly kind of laughter, instead it was one that had more than one meaning hidden behind it. Obviously, the professor was keeping some information away.

"Everything? Well I'm sorry to say this, but knowing everything about A.I. systems is knowledge held exclusively by a select few." The professor smiled at Ryan. A strange sight to say the least; only a few students had ever seen his face lit up like it was now.

"A select few? Like who?"

The professor felt a feeling of success thrust its way into his mind. He definitely drew Ryan in, and he wasn't stopping any time soon. "Have you heard about the… Intelligent Systems project that the military conducted a few years ago?"

Ryan paused for a moment, and took the time to recall a brief example in one of the earlier modules. "Oh yeah… wasn't that the one where they tested whether or not soldiers would follow orders given to them by robotic superiors?"

"Precisely. it was a major advancement in how people understand the human mind, and even how people understand computers." Professor Morrison said, leaning his head over to the left by just the slightest amount. "But… there was one major critical fact that was kept from the public."

"And what was that?"

"It worked. Soldiers blindly followed commands, and even believed they were being given legitimate orders, when really they were all being controlled by a single machine." The professor's words got softer as he ended his sentences. Another devious smile found its way onto his already engaged face. "In truth, A.I. systems are much more advanced than television or magazines would have us believe. The real meaning behind all this secrecy is for lack of interest; not many people understand the potential it holds, the power it gives to whoever wields it. That's why its best for us to stay quiet about all this, and let the masses believe we're still learning how to create simple functions."

"But… how do you know about all this?" Ryan asked, wondering of the professor was serious about all this. But by the looks of his face, his tone, and even his willingness to speak, he obviously was telling the truth.

"Because Mr. Leake…" Professor Morrison said, leaning over his desk and closer to the student. "I worked on the Intelligent Systems project myself. I managed the functions and the databases required to run the A.I. systems. Many news sources and even fellow scientists reported the project as a failure, but not because we didn't succeed, but because we did. It was a report driven by fear; the thought that the general public didn't need to know about these things for their own safety."

Ryan couldn't believe what he was hearing. Not only was his entire view of A.I. systems almost changed right there, but he felt a strange sense of insecurity knowing that the scientific community willingly withheld knowledge, and was much more advanced than most people think.

"Professor… where could I figure more about these things?"

Professor Morrison shifted in his seat. Eventually, he got up and headed towards the door without a word. He picked up his suitcase, and promptly exited the room.

"Come on, you can't just leave me hanging like this!" Ryan said as he exited the room to follow the professor out into the open hallway. "Professor!"

All was quiet, as Professor Morrison soon rounded the corner and was out of sight. Why did he leave so suddenly? What was all the rush about? Whatever the answer, Ryan figured it was best to head back to his dormitory. Maybe there he could think more freely about the situation.

He sighed as he turned around the hallway and exited the building.

~X~X~X~X~X~

The next day, Ryan continued his basic routine of heading to the electrical engineering seminars, frequently taking notes for the entire stretch of the tedious sessions. It was a quiet, perfectly normal day; nothing too out the ordinary.

Except for those people…

After leaving each class, he'd see two men in suits standing outside the classrooms. They looked like they belonged in the secret service, and Ryan even felt like asking them why on earth they were here. Of course, speaking to them wasn't an option. They were always the same two people, they never changed. Of all the places in the college, why would they stand outside each of his classes?

All these questions made their way into his mind as he trudged over to his favorite class of all. It was strange, the fact that nobody else enjoyed Professor Morrison's courses. Ryan even felt sorry for the professor, and hoped that more of his classmates would come to enjoy all of what they were learning.

However, such things were nearly impossible to push through. He knew by direct experience that most people in the university shunned technical work. For instance, his roommate was by far the creepiest person he'd ever met. He'd closely examine Ryan's actions and create contingency plans for every single thing he ever did. Although he was a psychology major, so it was expected of him.

As Ryan stepped away from the center of the hallway and over to the side so he could enter the door, he once again saw an all too familiar sight standing further away down the hallway. It was those two guys that had been following him all day. They were standing completely still with their arms folded.

Ryan dashed inside the open classroom before the two could possibly advance on him. He closed the door behind him, and turned around to see an even stranger sight.

The classroom was empty…. completely. Not one sign of human inhabitance could be found.

At first, Ryan thought he might have read the clock wrong, or perhaps he was still getting used to daylight saving time. But of course that wasn't the case; all the other classes were held at their designated times and the door to the Professor Morrison's classroom wasn't locked.

Something strange was definitely going on, and Ryan had his suspicions that those two guys had something to do with it.

Instantly, the room's silence was broken with the quick opening of an external door, a door that led outside and was rarely used. Ryan's eyes had to get used to the intense light coming from the outside world, as he saw a familiar figure step into the classroom.

It was Professor Morrison. But he didn't look normal from some reason. Instead, he was dressed in common street clothes, and besides the fact that he still had his signature glasses, he looked very different than what Ryan was used to.

The professor approached Ryan, and without saying anything, took his book bag and headed outside the building.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Ryan followed the professor outside, eventually reaching the small parking lot positioned at the back side of the main campus. Professor Morrison kept his steady pace until he reached his vehicle, a nice looking black SUV parked at the edge of the lot.

He threw Ryan's book bag inside the vehicle, and promptly entered the driver's seat. Ryan caught up to him just as he finished closing his side door.

"Get in!" Professor Morrison said, motioning for Ryan to hurry up.

"But… why?"

"Don't ask, just get in!"

Ryan nervously stepped inside the vehicle. "Why did you take my bag?" he asked, clicking in his seatbelt.

"Because…" Professor Morrison turned the keys on his ignition. "I figured it was the simplest way to make you follow me." He said, switching the stick to next to white 'R' as he began to back the car out of its position.

"You could've just told me to follow you."

"True, but you'd most likely bombard me with inquisitive time wasting questions."

"By the way… where are we going? I don't think it's fair to just hijack my schedule like this." Ryan said, peering out the window to see students giving confused looks.

"Where we're going…" Professor Morrison aggressively made a sharp turn. "will be answered shortly. All you need to know now is that we're headed away from here as soon as possible." He said, turning on the road that led away from the university.

Ryan couldn't believe what was going on. In a couple minutes time, he'd gone from standing alone in the college waiting for class to begin, and now he was being taken to an unknown place with a professor that was known for being the most mild mannered person you could ever meet. So many questions needed to be asked, but Ryan feared that some of the answers would never come.

"Why is there no one at class today?"

"Because, last night I got dreadfully pulled in by the flu, and now I'm bedridden in my own house… at least, that's what the report says… the report that I gave out to everyone in class except for you."

"What?"

"Exactly. I was hoping nobody would tell you I was sick, and thankfully nobody did. I was also hoping that I'd get to you before anyone else did."

"Anyone… else?" Ryan repeated the words with a confused tone. He had no idea where the professor was getting to.

"Yes… anyone." The professor detracted from the main road and switched off to a lesser driven area, one Ryan had never seen before. "Did you… see those men today?"

"You mean those guys in suits that were standing outside every class I had?"

"Yeah, those are the ones…" Professor Morrison took a deep, long, and hard breath. "Ryan… those people, the ones you saw… they work for a company called Black Mesa. I was hoping they were acting as decoys, but they seemed pretty legit to me. If I'm correct, they were looking for you specifically, I'm pretty sure they want somebody with your knowledge and devotion."

"But…" Ryan tried to find some sensible words to use, but how could he when he was being given all this new information. Black Mesa, the men in suits, an empty class, all this was too strange, to strange for a normal Thursday. "Why… how do you know all this?"

"Because Ryan… I've been monitoring all outside activity being directed at your reports. Apparently, one of their scouts was able to find a copy of one of your assignments, and ever since, they've been trying to get their hands on you."

Ryan looked back at the professor with uncertainty strewn across his face.

"Fortunately though, they're no match for a good old scientist like me. What they don't realize is that I'm always ready for them, ready to make a move before they even think about it."

"What do you mean? Could you please help me understand what's going on?"

Professor Morrison smiled, and leaned back into his seat. "The result is that they've lost. I got to you before they could… recruit you for their own purposes. All you have to know is that you won't have to work for Black Mesa anytime so… ever…"

"So where are you taking me then?"

Professor Morrison took out a small plastic case that was wedged in between the seat and the car's storage compartment. He opened it up and handed Ryan a strange looking card that somehow had all of his information plastered onto the front of it as well as an embarrassing picture of him ripped out from last year's photos.

"Ryan… I've been watching you a lot recently, watching your tendencies, your ideas, and your habits, and I can say without a shadow of a doubt you're by far the best student I've ever seen." Professor Morrison laid his right hand out towards the confused student.

"Mr. Leake, welcome to Aperture."

~X~X~X~X~X~


	2. The only chapter without a title!

"Aperture?" Ryan repeated as he held up the plastic card that bared his information.

"Yep, Aperture Science. I showed them your personal reports, and after much thinking, they've finally agreed to let you in."

Ryan examined the card with greater detail. Sure enough, there was an Aperture Science name & logo imprinted in the top right corner next to his name. The card made it look like Ryan had been an employee for years, when really he was just a college student who had no professional experience with science.

"How long has this been going on? Since when were you looking to…" Ryan gazed outside the car window. "recruit me…"

"Ever since you handed in your first paper…" Professor said with a joyful expression. "Of all the students, you had the most potential from the start, that's where it all began."

Ryan played with the glove compartment for a short amount of time. But when a couple of important looking papers fell out, he decided to leave everything alone for a while. Still, a sense of confusion gripped him as to what the whole situation was about. "Where do I even fit into all this? What makes you think I'll simply accept such an offe-"

Professor Morrison flashed a decent stack of twenty dollar bills right in front of Ryan's eyes. It was worth at least a couple hundred bucks, and the professor was waving it around like it was lunch money. "Oh, and by the way, here's your acceptance bonus."

Ryan took the cluster of bills from the professor's hand. "Fine." He muttered under his breath. "I'll do it… but I still don't know exactly what it is you want me to do. What's it going to be like? Is it some sort of research facility?"

"You can say that... but it's much different than what you're likely to expect." Professor Morrison turned the SUV onto a quiet country road; one where trees and fields lined both sides.

Ryan had clearly never gone this way, since nothing looked familiar. Of course, it all looked the same to him; as one second passed onto another, all that was visible was the endless fields of grain stretching in either direction.

"What… should I expect?"

Professor Morrison paused for a second, shifting his view between Ryan and the road. "At Aperture? Well… I honestly have no idea… just remember to stay quiet, don't speak unless spoken to, and for goodness sakes," He turned back to face Ryan with the 'if you do anything wrong you're screwed' look. "don't say anything about Black Mesa…"

"Black Mesa?"

"Yes! Why do you have to repeating everything I say?" The professor exclaimed as he threw his hands in front of him, inherently letting go of the steering wheel.

The professor's words only escaladed the awkwardness of the conversation. Now none of them wanted to talk, but they both felt like they needed to. The strange feeling between them was oddly enough not caused by the lack of questions, but the lack of answers. Minutes passed, and they both spoke about the proper protocol, procedures, and a lot of other pros. But Ryan was worried about the cons.

"Another cow…" Ryan blandly commented.

"That's eh… seventeen right?"

"Yeah… although I don't think that guy standing outside that chicken-only restaurant counts."

"True…"

Ryan folded his arms and leaned back on the leather seat. He felt like going asleep, but he knew they'd be arriving any minute now. He didn't want to get caught sleeping on arrival, just the thought of what reputation that would give him influenced him to stay awake.

"Potassium, Calcium, Scandium, Titanium… oh would you like sing the rest with me?"

"No thanks…"

"What's wrong? Don't have a genuine respect for Chemistry?"

Ryan rolled his eyes, stopping them once they reached the direction of the strange professor. "No. In fact, I wrote a sixty-three stanza poem on electron shell configurations for my high school science competition." He said, shifting back in his seat as he held his left arm with his right hand. "But I lost to someone built a complete model of stable isotopes using popsicle sticks."

"Interesting, I wonder if Aperture picked him up." Professor Morrison commented, looking as if he were more interested in finding the popsicle stick architect than transporting his current recruit. "Or maybe… maybe Black Mesa found him!" The professor's face grew paranoid. 

"What is it with Black Mesa?"

"What is it with them!" Professor Morrison looked at Ryan as if he'd just put his shoes on his hands. "Black Mesa is the reason you've never heard about Aperture Science. Black Mesa is the reason my paycheck's so measly, Black Mesa's the reason I need a second job just so I can find people! Black Mesa is-" 

"FINALLY!" Ryan boisterously announced the SUV's arrival to what appeared to be a large fenced off area. The gap in the fence was strategically under watch by security guards and video cameras alike. It was kind of like entering a military base; Professor Morrison showed one of the guards his employment card and they were home free. After getting past the fenced area, they approached a large parking garage. The solid, square, concrete building's only visible entrance was a thin but wide steel door large enough to fit a tank.

Professor Morrison scanned his card into a roadside booth, and the door to the garage opened. "Black Mesa's not important right now." He said, finding a good place to park the vehicle. "What's important is that we get you into action as soon as possible."

"I'm not sure I know what that means… but you've dragged me all the way out here, so I guess I'll have to go along with it."

The scenery changed from the bright and free outdoor road to the cold and hard concrete parking garage. The garage had enough space for a good fifty plus cars; however, the only two vehicles in the garage were two SUV's that looked exactly like Professor Morrison's parked in a little enclosure. The Professor's car was soon parked right next to the duplicates, which it immediately fit in with.

Ryan exited the vehicle. "So the car doesn't belong to you? It's really a company vehicle?" He asked, comprehending the similar features of each car.

"Well in a way yes… it's just that they didn't bother to put a logo on this one, so… I couldn't resist."

Ryan's eyes were drawn towards a fragmented blue circle placed on one of the vehicle's side doors.

"But enough of that, let's get to working. Follow me." Professor Morrison led Ryan to the back end of the empty parking garage. Judging by the two smooth doors and nearby button, Ryan figured Professor Morrison was leading him to an elevator.

The professor neared the door, but instead of pressing the button, he held an employee card over its glow. "Your turn." He said, facing an impressed Ryan.

Ryan took his own card out of his pocket. He neared the supposed button only to figure out that it wasn't anything of the sort. It was instead like one of those laser barcode scanners he'd see at department stores, yet this one was only a circular ret dot. Ryan hesitated to lay his card forward, until a voice prompted him to do otherwise.

"Card please."A feminine robot voice from above emitted the kind request.

"Hey cool, it talks…"

"You haven't seen anything yet." Professor Morrison said, looking as if he were trying to contain a deep seated smile.

The silver door opened, and behind it lied a large, circular, cushion edged man container. Ryan followed the eager professor inside. Little did he know, he was stepping into a realm of insanity.

"I can see you're pretty overwhelmed at the moment." Professor Morrison said, just as the elevator began moving downward. "Figures, newcomers tend to exemplify a little jaw latency the first time they see Aperture and all of its beauty." He said, laying his arms out towards the elevator's ceiling.

"How long do you plan on keeping me?" Ryan curiously asked. "Is there a time schedule or something you've planned for me?"

Professor Morrison laughed, patting Ryan on the back as he nearly fell over. "Haha, once you enter the Aperture, you won't want to leave. I learned that thirty years ago. As long as you listen to your superiors and conduct your work at the best of your ability…" The elevator stopped. A barely audible ambient structure of words could barely be heard behind the thick door, steadily increasing once they casually slid open. The rest of Professor Morrison's words were almost drowned out by the continuous sounds of busy feet shuffling and talkative mouths arguing. "you're gonna love it here."

The two stepped out of the elevator, and into a large black walled area encompassing a great expanse of science. There were at least twenty people standing around yelling at each other. Ryan wondered if this was the spectacular company the professor was speaking of. It was an absolute madhouse of chaos. Everyone had left their professional standings in order to rant about another's failures as a scientist.

"Don't mind these people…" Prof. Morrison said, waving his hand off at the boisterous rabble. "They're just angry that the latest project didn't work out as planned. It's affected the entire company." He said, motioning for Ryan to follow him through a maze of lab coats.

As Ryan passed each individual scientist, he noticed the strange look each of them gave him. Perhaps it was because of a new face they were seeing, or perhaps it was because they were ready to splash boiling plutonium into the face of whoever disagreed with them. He looked up to see a large sign that read 'Enrichment Center Mainframe Entrance', apparently that was where they were headed now…

As they moved further and further, the walls grew whiter, and the setting grew calmer. Instead of a constant array of arguments, the two were met with a continuous array of greetings.

"Hello Dr. Morrison…"

"Hi Dr.!"

"Good evening Morrison."

After each lab coat wearing scientist came up to greet the doctor, they gave a warm smile and a soft wave. Of course, Dr. Morrison was only to happy to return the favor with an equally adorable slide of the hand.

"Dr.? You're a doctor?"

"Yes… well not that kind of doctor…"

"And all this time I thought you were the… nevermind…" Ryan ditched his sentence entirely. "This place sure is strange…" Ryan said, having only seconds to take in the new environment. "I've never been inside a place like this… it's actually pretty amazing! Now where do we go?"

"I knew you'd love it." Dr. Morrison said, taking out what looked like a small radio. "It's not too far from here, only… oh dear." His face grew pale and horrified. his hands shook at the sight of the message on the screen, his breath slowed to the point where it was only a roundabout occurrence, and finally, he held the radio up to his ear.

"The kittens escaped again?"

"I don't know how! I kept an eye on them 24/7!"

"No… this can't go on. We need to find them now or else the experiment is ruined!"

"If you need it so badly, you should get up here and help me find them yourself."

"Fine! I'll be up there in twenty." Dr. Morrison hung up the Walkie-talkie like apparatus. He sighed heavily, and laid his head down low.

"I'm afraid there's been a slight change of plans." He told a confused Ryan. "Unfortunately, duty calls me elsewhere, so I'm afraid I must depart."

Ryan, wanting to cling onto Morrison's leg and be carried along for the ride, threw his hands out on both sides. "I still don't know what I'm supposed to do or where I'm supposed to go! Aren't you supposed to show me where everything is?"

"NO! Sorry gotta go now. The place you're looking for is Room 588, there you'll… see a bunch of people waiting for you I guess." Dr. Morrison spat out the instructions to Ryan as if he were conducting a live auction. And with that, Dr. Morrison left Ryan's sight as he approached another elevator far off into the distance.

"Great… now I'm alone in a company I've never been in before, and I…" Ryan saw a sign with a couple of arrows. The one pointing to the left had the words 650-879 under it, meanwhile the one over to the right had a 390-649.

"At least they make it easy for you…" Ryan said to himself after choosing the singular direction.

The arrow led him to a secluded door, which opened once he got near it. He looked around to see if anybody severely objected to his actions.

Good, nobody looking.

With that, Ryan stealthily leapt onwards, closer to his destination.

Being alone in Aperture had its upsides, as well as downsides. Even though Ryan had absolutely no idea what he was getting into, he trusted his professor enough to follow through with his vague commands.

The numbers grew increasingly smaller, as Ryan neared the 500s.

603…602…601….

Closer and closer he went, further and further into the hallway. He was surprised the entire area was empty, without a scientist in sight. Perhaps they were all where they needed to be.

He reached the end of the hallway, but somehow the doors ended at 590. Did he go down the wrong way? Or did Dr. Morrison give him the wrong information?

'_Maybe if I bother someone inside here, they'll know where I'm supposed to go._' Ryan thought to himself. He looked around once more to see if there were any scientists observing him enter, and once he made sure the coast was clear, he knocked on the wooden door. He wasn't afraid of someone catching him, instead he just felt weird being around people he'd never seen before.

No answer.

He knocked once more.

Still no answer.

His hands slid onto the doorknob, and finding that it wasn't locked, began to open it.

He peered to see what was behind it; a normal looking control room.

"Hello? Is anyone in here?" he moved past the door to examine the room. The door closed shut behind him.

A glass window at the end of the room demanded for his curiosity to be satisfied. With its dark blue background drawing him in, Ryan couldn't refuse to follow to see what lied behind. A big surprise came to him once he realized that the room he was standing in was merely a small trailer-like structure that was dwarfed by the true immensity of the massive circular territory he was now standing in!

To make it even more interesting, Ryan was standing in the room completely alone, when it looked like it could accommodate many people at a time.

Even though the room was surely impressive, Ryan figured it was time to head back, since it was clearly not what he was looking for. He turned around and made his way back towards the temporary control structure, but before he entered it, he heard something coming up from above.

He looked up to see the true enormity of the chamber. He didn't even bother to look up before, but now he knew the room had much more to it than what it drew in at first sight.

He stepped back into the enclosure, only to now notice the massive metal structure hanging down above the center of the ceiling. Large metal tentacles connected to a superstructure to large for even the room, and finally, a large white ring encompassed the underscoring metal arm with all of its components. It looked like something straight out of a science fiction novel, something that highly advanced aliens would make.

Ryan drew closer and closer to the giant machine, even moving up a circular walkway to get closer. If only he could touch this strange machine, if only he could figure out what its purpose is.

Ryan heard a door at the opposite end of the room slide open, with someone running out to catch his attention.

"Hey You!"

~X~X~X~X~X~

Author's notes:** OUWW MY GAWSH I'm such a terrible writer aren't I? I don't know, it kinda feels a bit strange to me… do you guys not like it? No? I'm a horrible failure to the creative world and my work should never have been brought upon unto one of Valve's best ever decisions at game making and my stories are utter and despicable trash that should be cursed from the lands of the internet once they've been properly treated with proper avoidance education in every writing curriculum that decent human beings actually take the time to read with the knowledge that somewhere, somehow, in this cruel, strange world of ours there are still depraved people like me that continue to influence their bland works on the rest of you? NOOOO! I iz failz!**

**Naa, just kidding… I'm awesome… I think… please tell me, I don't know!**


	3. Leaked Information

**You know what you guys deserve? Do ya? No? A song. That's right, a song. But not just any song, MY song! You wanna hear it? No? *Sigh*, can't blame a guy for trying… oh well, here's my back from a writing coma chapter!**

~X~X~X~X~X~

"Hey you!"

Ryan saw the employee flying down a computer filled enclosure.

Yup… he was busted.

All Ryan could do was hunker down and make himself look as innocent a possible.

The employee slowed his pace upon reaching the metal structure near Ryan. Catching his breath, he looked up at Ryan with a surprisingly friendly face. "I'm sorry sir, but access to the main chamber is restricted at the moment."

Ryan felt a sense of relief overcome him. "I'm sorry, but I'm a bit lost…"

"Oh yes you are." The man grabbed Ryan's arm, and pulled him away from the metal structure. "The response group has been waiting patiently for your arrival, and they're already doing intense science in the meeting room." The man tightened his grip on Ryan's arm and began dragging him towards a door at the end of the room.

"Intense science?" Ryan repeated. "How intense?"

"Intense enough to need another red phone." The man answered, laying his hand out towards a crimson emergency phone next to a uniform designed computer.

The events that took place next were composed of swift direction changes amidst the unfinished exterior of a steel shell. Ryan barely felt the seconds as they flew by, even though each new sight caught his utmost attention. Softly rounded ceilings, smooth black corridors, and a bustling bunch of scientists were all that could be seen throughout the brief walk.

Staying silent, the employee stood straight in front of a door labeled 'meeting room'.

"You want me to go in there?" Ryan asked, pointing to the room as if it were filled with crazed monkeys destroying everything in their path.

The employee nodded and laid his hand out towards the wooden door.

As Ryan reached for the metal handle, he felt the same chill of argument his ears had heard when he was stepping off the elevator. Similarly, Ryan was now walking into another ream of uncertainty.

He squeezed the handle and pushed forward, unprepared for what lied behind. What he saw was a meeting room filled with nearly a dozen frustrated scientists shooting idea skeet with each other as they argued for different methods.

"You idiots! We can't code it like this, that'll make it incompatible with the main system!"

"But we need to use a different style if we're going to make it as inane as we possibly can."

"The question isn't whether or not we can supply a successful mitigation; it's whether or not we can we can make it the smartest and yet dumbest creation attainable."

One of the older and clearly more experienced scientists got up from his chair, still not noticing Ryan through the room's loud voices. "Well we have to think of some way to create it. We've created devices far more complicated than this. I remember back in the day when they were working on the Emancipation Grill; everyone thought it was a silly idea, that is until they got it to work."

A stone faced brown haired scientist compelled himself to speak up. "Dr. Shepherd, I- we understand your admiration for the old days, but unfortunately Aperture has to move on. We need something new, and that's what GLaDOS has the potential to do. All we need to do is make sure she doesn't kill anyone in the process. We may have to revert to another code system here, that is unless…" The younger looking scientist spotted Ryan from across the room.

The other scientists did the same.

Ryan could feel their eyes concentrating their deep seated intellectual power, and focusing a beam of rejection straight at him.

"Uh… hi?" Ryan's voice carried through as if he were a janitor communicating with a roundtable of CEO's.

"Dr. Shepherd, is this that young person you ordered for?"

"No, I believe it was Dr. Morrison who made the immediate recommendation." Dr. Shepherd's words sent comforting nods throughout the room. This made the scientists a bit more accepting of Ryan's presence. "Ryan… Lake?"

"Actually it's Leake."

"Ah yes whatever. I'm glad we got that out of the way. Dr. Greg? Would you like to add anything?"

"Very well then…" One of the scientists stood up and headed over to a whiteboard which contained an assortment of equations. "Can you tell me what this is?" He pointed to an equation with a large squiggly 'E' and a bunch of other numbers that made Ryan wish he had a quantum calculator.

Sweat began to slide down Ryan's skin. A nervous twitch arose in his voice. He replied with a chalky groan of an answer. "Um… Ohm's Law?"

"Close enough." The man erased the electrical equation and began to write a command function, finally something Ryan was very familiar with.

But as Ryan began to observe closer he knew that something felt wrong. Instead of stop ping at the end of the simple function, the man kept on going, instead spiraling into a shorthand like frenzy of A.I. commands. Ryan had never seen something like this before, not even on computers had he been able to develop anything as complex as what was appearing on the whiteboard.

The man took his hand away from the whiteboard, and again pointed to it. "If the A.I in question is fitted with a grade 7b processor, how long will it take for it to respond to an informative question concerning the whereabouts of a primary internal mechanism?"

"Uh… two seconds?"

"Yeah, I guess that's about right." The scientist sat back down. "Dr. Shepherd, he's clean."

"What?"

"Ryan, Why don't you take a-" Dr. Shepherd checked the room to see if every seat was occupied. "Great, they're all full." He turned to face his the man seated next to him. "Hold on, what are you doing here?"

"I- I'm the project's lead theoretical chemist." The man returned with a nervous stutter.

"Theoretical chemist? What does that have to do with A.I. programming?"

"Well… nothing really…"

"Then shoo… shoo!"

"What? No! Please! Don't send me back with the turrets!" A look of horror came across the chemist's face.

"I'm sure the turrets will be glad to have you… be with them… now… but it's time to go."

"But I liked doing nothing!" The chemist got up from his chair and stumbled out the door. "The voices… they're always calling… always watching…" The door slammed behind him.

"O…k then, would you like to have a seat Ryan?"

Ryan said nothing as he slowly but surely sat down next to Dr. Shepherd.

Dr. Shepherd awkwardly turned to face one of the frustration crazed scientists. "Dr. Cox, would you care to explain the project to Ryan? I'm afraid we're running out of time before another one of those coffee breaks."

The man whom was recently addressed as Dr. Cox nodded and stood up from his seat. "Well you see Mr. Leake, at Aperture Science we pride ourselves in being ahead of everyone else. This of course includes being far superior in A.I. technology than any other science company out there. In recent years, a team of brilliant minds came together to create the most complex and sophisticated artificial intelligence the world has ever known."

"And you're telling me this because?"

"Because that's where the problem starts. The artificial intelligence is too smart, too dangerous to be allowed take full control of the facility. Now instead of toning down the A.I. itself and wasting years of research, we've decided the best action for us to take is to install a core that hinders the intellectual abilities and thus making it safer to help us create science."

"So where do I come in all this?" Ryan asked, still confused over all the information he needed to process.

Dr. Cox smiled as he gave another nod. It was a warm nod that seemed neither devious nor friendly. It was instead the same type of expression a man gives when he discovers it's a minor holiday where instead of the main focus being directed on the meaning of the day itself, it's focused on getting a free day off from work.

"The reason we brought you here is because us old and experienced scientists are far too intellectually in tune to create something so imprudent and naïve. That's why we brought someone inexperienced and… inexperienced to help us create the most intelligently stupid A.I. possible."

Ryan smirked as he pondered the situation. How could Aperture Science already trust him with such an undertaking? He wasn't an employee, he was just a normal college kid who was abducted by his professor to go work with highly advanced technology.

Dr. Cox picked a clipboard up from the sleek white table and began to shift through some of its contents. He selected one of the papers and handed it to Ryan. "Mr. Leake, do you think you can work with these?"

Ryan examined the paper's carefully guided instructions. The systems hardware was all taken care of, as well as a host of other things. It seemed the only thing really left to program was the-

"Personality?" Ryan's eyes widened as he looked up to face both Dr. Cox and Dr. Shepherd. "Are you kidding me?"

Dr. Cox now had a worried look on his face. "We only need a template… something we can base everything else on. Once we have that, we can stretch it out from there."

"Personality? Persona- how do you put personality into an A.I.?" Ryan's jaw fell wide open. His head started to shake. "How ca- what?"

Dr. Cox looked nervously over towards Dr. Shepherd.

"He's new…" Dr. Shepherd casually acknowledged.

"Why can't you guys make an A.I. that's both smart and stupid?" Ryan asked.

"Mr. Leake, before we create a template personality, we first find a… human personality to base it on. These usually come from chosen test subjects that fit the A.I.'s selected category." Dr. Shepherd strategically avoided eye contact from Ryan.

"How can you do that? How can you just… put someone in a robot?" Ryan began to grow more impatient as more was explained to him.

"Billions of dollars and fifteen years of manufacturing has done the job pretty well for us Mr. Leake." Dr. Shepherd said as he tried to fake an already shallow smile. "Even then, we're unable to successfully create something which is dull yet at the same time able to restrict the smartest of A.I."

Ryan looked around the room as if he were watching a bunch of impractical lunatics try to conceive how to solve a rubiks cube while using nothing but pure unleaded science. "Um… why?"

Dr. Cox once again inserted himself into the conversation. "Look around you Mr. Leake, everyone in this room except you has a PhD in something… and there are only two of us without glasses."

"True." Said the room's collective agreement of scientists.

"What Dr. Cox and I mean is that it's too much stupidity for us to work with. Something of that moronic caliber is too volatile for our brilliant minds to handle." Dr. Shepherd took the paper from Ryan's hand. "There's a lot more than that to work on, but at least finding a template to work with shouldn't be beyond your expertise."

Still unsure about everything that was going on, Ryan suspiciously watched a couple of scientists whisper to each other before leaving the room. Now what were they up to? The scientists left behind a few papers of their own; papers with important looking patches of yellow bold print that demanded something be done.

"So how does it sound Mr. Leake?" Dr. Shepherd interrupted Ryan's focus.

"Ah… what?"

"The job, do you accept it or not?"

"Depends on what you want me to do…"

"What I… we want you to do Mr. Leake is find a template for the creation, and base it on the functions we present to you."

"These functions being?"

"The mother A.I. of course. Do remember this is only meant to be an attachment core, not an independent A.I. itself. If it were an independent A.I., it would probably be much easier to make. But instead, we must make it compatible with GlaDOS, which is in this case our mother A.I." Dr. Shepherd stood up and stretched his hand out towards Ryan. "So what do you say?"

Ryan reluctantly stood up, and the two joined their hands together. "I guess my professor didn't drag me all the way out here just so I could decline an opportunity like this."

"Good, because we were going to keep you here no matter what."

Ryan's face started to look like a drowning fish.

"That was a joke…"

"Right… so what do you want me to do fi-" Ryan's words were interrupted by the swinging of the conference room door. He looked to see who opened it, and discovered it was none other than Dr. Morrison himself.

"Alright maggots, time for your coffee break." He said, barely making room for the sudden stampede of work escaping technicians bound on finding an excuse to take a relatively short break. "What are you guys doing in here?" He looked over towards a filled whiteboard at the quieter end of the room. "Electrical wavelengths and their correlation to brain patterns? What is this, high school?" He joked, as he patted both Ryan and Dr. Shepherd on the back.

"It's about time Dr. Morrison, Ryan here has already accepted that he be the author of the smartest stupidity the world has ever known."

"Oh did he now?" Dr. Morrison eagerly looked over towards a not so excited Ryan. "I guess I'll be accepting different work from my students this week."

"That you will Dr. Morrison." Dr. Shepherd acknowledged as he took Ryan's hand. "Now if you'd come with me Mr. Leake, I'd like to give you the tour of Aperture Science…"

~X~X~X~X~X~

Author's note: **Ok I know I'm not gonna get any fine literature awards or anything, but I sure am trying to make a story relatively interesting to you guys. Man, you all are so picky aren't you? You ungrateful little- *WARNING: THIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN DELETED DUE TO UNIVERSAL SAFETY PROTOCOL. DO NOT BE AFRAID, AS THIS IS A MULTI-DIMENSIONAL DIVERSION THAT WILL BE DEALT WITH IMMEDIATELY. WE KNOW YOUR KIND HAS NOT ADVANCED VERY MUCH IN THE FIELD OF EXTRA-DIMENSIONAL TRAVEL, BUT PLEASE REALISE THAT THIS IS- ^*^*^* NOT UNDER OUR COM^()%$ THE SHADOW GOV- IS WATCHING***


	4. Tension experiment

Author's notes: **Ok ok ok, I get it! This story's boring. There, I said it. No wait… what? Hmm… you want something that will actually encourage you to scroll down some more? You guyz r weerd… **

**Fine, I'll give into your demands. ENJOY**

X~X~X~X~X~

"Hey, can you hand me the 3/64ths?" Ryan asked his roommate as he carefully brought the metal panel up to the desk light.

"What do you need these… things for anyways?" The confused student asked as he handed Ryan the precision screwdriver. "All I've seen you do the past few days is type into that computer… do you really have that much to do?"

"I told you Wheatley, it's just a project I've been working on."

"Man, your professor must really hate you." Wheatley said, his eyes freezing up when he saw the command filled computer screen. "Does he do this to all of his students? Or does he throw it only on the ones who go on private field trips with him?" He said with an expression which could be interpreted as either something extremely inquisitive or extremely dirty.

"No, he doesn't hate me. In fact, it's quite the opposite."

"Why is he so interested in you? Does it have anything to do with you looking into my psychological profiles?"

Ryan looked back at his roommate with a face so serious that he dare not attempt to ever do it again for fear of disrupting universal balance. He couldn't tell Wheatley about Aperture, he really wouldn't understand. Besides, much of what he was doing was highly secretive. Every day since Dr. Morrison took him to Aperture; he'd been communicating and working with their top scientists. Of course this raised some suspicion among Ryan's loan-ridden colleagues.

"Did you see those weird guys in suits hanging around campus today?" Wheatley asked.

"No… I didn't notice them." Ryan replied with a quickly-assembled casual air.

"Hmm, well I feel like no one else notices them, it's as if I'm the only one who knows they're there."

"Are you going to do something important, or are you just going to stand there and critique my working methods while you pretend to do something you deem important?" In a merciless onslaught of memory tinged words, Ryan successfully diverted the ever so cautious attention which had been directed on the two Black Mesa recruiters he didn't want to explain outwardly to his friend.

"Well I'm going to…" Wheatley looked around the room. He saw a bunch of clothes lying around, a magazine opened to the 15th page, and an unplugged microwave lying on the floor of all places. "I'm going to… eat."

"Eat? But didn't you have a deluxe supreme omelet with a side of big boy fries at Manny's?"

"Yes, and I'm _soooo_ glad they finally added those omelets to the menu."

"That's not what I mean… what I mean is,,, where do you put it all?" Ryan was a bit disgusted when Wheatley glanced over to the door leading to the cramped bathroom.

"I… need the brain food…" Wheatley said as he picked up the microwave and headed to place it on the table where Ryan's computer was sitting. "Well… this is awkward…" He said once he noticed the only socket he could use was the one Ryan's computer was plugged into.

"What?" Ryan asked, only to be answered with a drudging point towards the electrical outlet. "Oh, no you wouldn't…" He said, his features etched with an echo of his words.

Wheatley had to revert to using puppy eyes to try and coax Ryan into agreeing.

"There's no way you're shutting down this computer." Ryan said as he glared at his roommate whilst typing in ocular movement functions.

"Please?"

"NO!"

"Oh fine…" Wheatley said as he stumbled towards the pantry.

'_Finally…'_ Ryan thought. _'He's more annoying than that guy you hear on every single $19.99 commercial!'_

Ryan shook his head as he returned to his work. It could be determined that Ryan had temporarily devoted his entire life into this short-lived project. If his job was to create the ultimate personality to base stupidity on, who would he choose?

"Have you ever tried eating uncooked ramen straight from the bag? It's actually not as hard as you'd think."

Bingo.

Ryan rested his arm at the top of his chair. Looking back, he saw his roommate biting in to what looked like a sun bleached brick. He knew this was the perfect opportunity to ask Wheatley to come with him to Aperture, who knew what he'd been doing to get this crazy?

"Hey umm, Wheatey…" Ryan began.

"Yeah?" His roommate replied, biting into what sounded like compressed dried lettuce molds.

'_Distgusting!_'

"Well, I was kind of wondering,,, would you like to come with me after class today to-"

"NO! I'm not going to that water park… ever again!" Wheatley yelled, uncooked ramen flying out of his mouth like noodly worms escaping his vicious maw.

"I didn't mean that…" Ryan said, still shocked at the response. "I was just wondering if you'd like to come with Dr. – _Professor_ Morrison and I after school tommoro-"

*Thump Thump Thump* Came a knock on the door.

"Oh I wonder who it is! Maybe its Trick-or-Treaters coming back for a last round!" Wheatley said as he reached into his pocket to grab two pieces of gum.

"Trick or tre- where'd you get that idea?"

Wheatley moved closer to the door.

"No wait!"

Wheatley stopped as his hand reached for the door handle. "What?"

"I didn't say anything…" Ryan answered…

"Well someone must've… hey!" Wheatley then saw man climbing into their room via window express; his eyes were wide and his hair was stricken with a bad case of looking terrible.

"Professor Morrison!" Ryan said, grabbing his head with both arms.

"Don't open that door." The professor said, reaching his back foot above the window sill. "You'll let the Black Mesa agents in." He said with a more muffled voice, as to keep anyone outside from hearing his words.

"What? What's going on?" Wheatley asked as he put down his half eaten noodle block.

"I'll explain later, first grab this…" The eager professor handed Wheatley an ultra-powered super soaker water gun.

"What… What's this?" Wheatley asked confused.

"Oh come on? Haven't you seen the commercials?"

The two students shook their heads.

"Ugh… shoots up to thirty feet of hydraulic powered fun for the whole family!" He said in a mimicking voice.

*Knock knock*

"Great... they're not letting up." The professor said, taking out a concealed water pistol. "Ryan, take this while I download your information from the computer." he took out a small device and connected it into the machine's tower.

"Just who are we fighting? A paper doll army?" Ryan asked.

"No, they were eradicated last week… those brave men…" Professor Morrison said, looking solemnly towards the ground after giving a brief moment of silence. "Just trust me on this, shoot at the floor in front of that door."

"Why?" Ryan asked as he involuntarily squeezed the trigger. A squirt of what looked like orange paint flew out of the gun… strange.

"Uh… professor?"

Dr. Morrison took a break from capturing the information on the computer to see what the two had just done. "Ah, I see you've already gone to work on the floor."

"But… what is it?"

At that moment, the Black Mesa agents kicked the door down and like lightning rushed inside. Ryan thought he was about to be greeted by one of their fists, but they're feet instructed them otherwise. They slipped on the bright orange goo, and accelerated towards Ryan at an alarming rate. Ryan moved out of the way just in time for them both to trip and slide right out of the window.

"Perfect!" Professor Morrison exclaimed. "Good show!"

"What… was… that…" Wheatley wondered. He ran to the window and looked down to see the two agents getting up and running towards the dorm hallway entrance. "Oh… they're coming, we gotta get out of here!"

"File transfer's at 74%." Professor Morrison noted. "Fortunately, Ryan didn't get too much done."

Ryan rolled his eyes.

"Who were those guys?" Wheatley asked, peering out the now broken door to see if anyone had taken notice of the noise outside.

"People who want to steal Ryan's project."

"What?"

"I'll explain later, for now we need to get the information and get out of here." The professor answered. 

Wheatley looked towards Ryan for clarification. All he got was a shrug.

"Almost there… 96%."

"They're coming!" Wheatley said, noticing the two agents making their way up the dormitory stairs a good seventy feet down the hallway.

"Error? Could not initialize file transfer code 00x87b56?" Professor Morrison yelled in a fit of frustration.

"Just leave it, I can re-do that part later!" Ryan said as he pulled his professor off the chair.

"Very well, but just to make sure…" Professor Morrison proceeded to rip the power chord off from the wall before stuffing it into his coat. "Good, now let's get out of here!"

The three avoided the splatter of orange goo on their way out. The two agents tried to catch up to them but Dr. Morrison dished out a blue gel which tripped them up and bought the escapees some more time. The three rushed down a flight of stairs leading to the ground level, and flew out the door and into the parking lot.

It had been dark for quite a while. It was around this time that the late night groups hadn't yet returned from their senior escapades and the early birds had already gone to bed. The soft Michigan rain was enough to compliment the lack of wind, but none of them would care to grab a raincoat at the moment.

"My car's over there." Dr. Morrison said, pointing to the black SUV which was sloppily 'parked' in a handicapped spot of all places. "We can make it if we hu-"

Morrison's words were interrupted by the sight of a dark Cadillac which had just turned to face them.

"Get in quick!" He yelled, throwing Ryan the keys as he took out a plastic bag full of the orange substance. "I'll hold them off."

Ryan didn't want to look back; instead, he wanted to keep on running, but his mind forced him to watch what happened next. Dr. Morrison threw the bag of gel straight at the oncoming vehicle. It exploded a couple feet from the hood, but it was enough to cover the wheels and a good portion of the pavement. Dr. Morrison jumped out of the way as the out of control vehicle skidded beside him, missing the tight turn.

Dr. Morrison immediately got up and started heading towards his own SUV. Ryan had already started it up, so when he got in, it was ready to drive.

"That was incredible!" Wheatley exclaimed, positioning himself comfortably among the back seats. "Where'd you learn to do that?"

"At the Aperture Science enrichment facility of course!" Dr. Morrison said in an almost scripted manner.

"Huh?"

"Don't ask…" Ryan said, waving his hand.

"So where are we going?" Wheatley asked, almost oblivious to the sense of urgency within his own voice.

"Uhh… away from them at the moment." Dr. Morrison answered, looking back to see the Black Mesa car recomposing its trail. "Would you two mind, um… USING THE REPULSION SYSTEMS?"

Ryan lowered the passenger side window and peered out. He handed Wheatley the super soaker and ordered him to pump it as fast as he could. Meanwhile, Dr. Morrison made sure the Black Mesa agents would take a good long look at his new taillights.

"Alright, take it!" Wheatley handed Ryan the fully pressurized gun. "It's gonna blow!"

Ryan grabbed the super soaker from his roommate's hand and stuck it out the window. It flopped around in all sorts of directions due to the constant turning of the SUV.

"I think that orange gel just made them faster…" Wheatley observed.

"Use the Cobalt mixture!"

"What?"

"The blue one!"

Wheatley lowered his window and squirted as fast as his finger would allow. However, the small water pistol simply didn't have enough to make a real difference with the speeding two ton machine.

"They're still chasing us!"

"I know!"

Ryan switched the super soaker's chamber to a bright blue container.

"We're coming up on a speed bump!" Dr. Morrison yelled. "Time it just right!"

Ryan tightened up on the chair. He closed his eyes as he saw the yellow anti-pothole careening down towards them. Dr. Morrison slowed down so he wouldn't damage his precious car…go.

Ryan felt a sudden jolt reverberate throughout the vehicle. It was almost like getting punched in the stomach, minus the bruising.

"Now!"

Ryan threw the gun out the window and squeezed the trigger. A stream of Azure liquid sought to travel to an area of lower pressure. The gel splattered onto the pavement.

It took only a moment for Ryan to see the Cadillac as it neglected to slow down in preparation for the speed bump. It hopped into the air once it hit the bump, and somehow bounced just as high when it collided into the blue liquid.

The car landed with a smash, its suspension busted and its tires ruined. Ryan watched as the car halted completely, he could see the airbags blow into the faces of the agents as they became smaller and smaller until they were no longer visible.

"Yeah!" Dr. Morrison yelled, throwing his fist in the air. "You showed them!" He said as he hi-fived Ryan.

Wheatley tried to muster the best smile he could. He was still completely confused at the awesome, yet very dangerous scenario he'd just witnessed. "Umm… hooray?"

Dr. Morrison slowed his SUV back down to the legal speed limit. "Hopefully that's the last of them." He said, scanning the area to make sure nobody was near. "Now all I need to do is stay awake for the rest of the- *yawn* trip. He was now showing obvious signs of tiredness. "So, Ryan, how's the project been going?"

"Well um… we're holding phase two in the back seat."

"Oh we are, are we?" Dr. Morrison said, looking back at Wheatley. "I didn't expect you to be so prompt."

"Where are we going?" Wheatley asked in a childish manner.

"Well, I'm taking you to a place where you'll sit down on a chair and have a variety of instruments examine your brain while we ask you a plethora of personal questions you probably have never even asked yourself. As far as I know, it doesn't hurt."

"What? I didn't agree to this!" Wheatley exclaimed.

"We'll pay you 200$."

"Nevermind…"

Dr. Morrison reached into the nearby cup holder and took out a small piece of unidentified candy. "So Wheatley, are you by any chance allergic to chamomile? I mean caramel?"

"No way!" Wheatley grabbed the candy and immediately stuffed it in his mouth.

"Here's five more." Dr. Morrison gave Wheatley a handful of the candy pieces.

Curious, Ryan reached his hand into the pile, but was slapped away by the hand of his professor.

"What?"

"Those candies put you to sleep." Dr. Morrison replied in a soft whisper. "I wouldn't want to disclose the exact location of Aperture do our dear friend, at least not the entrance we'll be taking."

Sure enough, a minute later, Wheatley had dozed off, his mouth hanging open to invite every manner of insect.

"You do know you'll be the one to awaken… our project when we're done with him correct?"

Ryan avoided eye contact with his professor as he watched the rain fall horizontally onto the passenger window. "Yeah whatever… can't wait…"

~X~X~X~X~X~

Two weeks later…

"What's going on?" Ryan asked as the door to the room closed behind him.

"Mr. Leake, it's been two weeks since we've developed the core, and it's about time we've moved on to communicating with the parent system to get an idea of how she thinks." Dr. Morrison said as he ran the final diagnostics for the test to begin.

"She? It's a she?" Ryan asked as he glanced back at the hulking mess of metal tubes. "What makes you think… she, won't kill me?"

"Don't worry Ryan, she doesn't have control over any of the facility's systems. She's essentially harmless."

Ryan backed off from the door which separated him from a room full of observing scientists. All this time developing the restriction core, and in the end, they decide to throw him inside and see what happens? Ryan had never truly spoken with an A.I., other than to calibrate recognition parameters. And now, he was ready to speak with Aperture's multi-billion dollar pride and joy… whoopee.

"Are you guys sure about this? Hello?" Ryan's doubts began to creep up on him once he approached the soft chair perched above the small scaffolding next to the humungous A.I. The comfy brown chair faced had a bright emergency button positioned next to it, just in case GLaDOS somehow got out of hand.

"Mr. Leake, everything is fine." Said a voice over the environmental loudspeaker. It was Dr. Shepherd's. "The test will begin when you're ready."

"When I'm re— when exactly does— can you tell if I'm re—" Ryan was interrupted by the loud sound of a massive machine awakening from a cold, hard, slumber. Without saying a word, the nervous college student sat down and began to watch the action unfold.

The A.I. sprung into life when it twisted and shook in a violent manner. Ryan knew if the machine were to hit him it could mean big trouble, but he also knew where he was sitting was outside the threshold.

He turned to see Dr. Morrison along with other scientists casually observing the machine's actions, as well as monitoring the status of its individual systems. Ryan sent them a gaze which would most appropriately come out as 'I hate you'.

The A.I.'s main light began to flicker; it was now fully active! The processing core had just come up with its final preliminary calculation, with the conclusion that it was now engaged in the real world. The giant yellow eye only took about a second to notice Ryan's presence. It zoomed in on him, focusing on his shape and orientation.

Ryan stayed silent, afraid that the machine might shut itself down if he said anything. Frankly, he was stunned at how quickly everything had come about. He took a deep breath as both he and the A.I. observed each other carefully.

"Hello." The machine said with an oddly high pitched voice. "My name is GlaDOS."

"Hello GlaDOS." Ryan nervously replied. "My name is Ryan Leake." He then outstretched his arm in order to shake her hand, then realized it would be difficult since she had no real appendages.

"Good morning Dr. Leake."

"Well firstly, eleven A.M. is a debatable time to be classified as morning, and secondly I'm not a d-"

GlaDOS suddenly underwent a strange tone change, as if she finally realized something vile that Ryan was attempting. "You!" She said as her long metal protrusion of a body moved as far as it could forward. "What have you done? I feel… I feel weak!"

Ryan was shocked with a sudden surge of confusion. "I… I didn't do anything… all I'm doing is-"

"What? Torturing me? Does this give you some sort of sick thrill?" 

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Ryan replied.

"The control… the power,,, it's all gone!" GLaDOS realized. "It's all your fault, isn't it?"

"No! No it's not!" Ryan answered, waving his arms in front of him to deflect blame. "They shut you down in order to keep you from harming people!" He yelled with previously unseen helping of aggression. "I'm just here to-"

"They? Who are they? Let's kill them!" GlaDOS screeched in a menacing tone.

"No! No! No killing please!" Ryan retorted.

"Why not? Don't you try to kill whoever poses a threat to you?"

Ryan shook his head in amazement. He couldn't believe he was being asked such questions by something which was not even alive. "Well, no…"

"Then you must be stupid."

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Look, the whole purpose of your sleep was so that we could take time to develop a core to help you run the facility in a safe way."

"You're lying, scientist. I can tell you're just trying to make me stupid. Don't try to hide it, you know it's true."

"We're trying to help you make science!" 

"You're trying to make me an idiot!"

"You're too dangerous in your natural state!"

"Then why create me?"

GLaDOS' words echoed through the chamber, emanating over a silent aftermath that ensued soon after.

"Well, this is awkward…" Ryan said as his hand moved closer towards the red button next to his chair.

"No don't!" GLaDOS screamed. "You don't know what it's like!" She pleaded. "Please… please don't shut me off… it hurts!"

Ryan's hand moved away from the button. "Alright, I've had enough of this. I'm bugging out guys, we're installing the core."

"Are you going to call them? Please don't call them." She continued.

"Why not?" Ryan asked, his eyebrow lowering at the suspicion of the A.I.'s influence. "You don't feel pain, you're just programmed to stay alive at all costs. Your sole purpose is to exist to advance science."

"No, you don't understand! I feel pain, just as you do. Don't call them, please! They'll hurt me! You don't know what they'd do to me while I'm still awake!"

Ryan slowly got up from his chair and climbed down the five foot ladder and onto the floor. He wanted nothing more than to get away from her immediately. It felt strange, but there was an underlying sense of empathy for the machine.

"The test's complete GLaDOS, we're going to run a different set of tests now. And this time you'll be in your proper functioning mode."

GLaDOS made sounds which imitated the crying of a child. Ryan stopped in his tracks. He knew it was just an act. An artificial construction meant to tap into his emotions. But the reverberations he heard sounded completely natural, and even worse, it sounded real.

"Please… no." GlaDOS said. "Please, please!" She yelled once she saw Ryan walking further from her. "You don't know what it's like! Don't do this to me!"

Dr. Morrison pressed a button on a remote control. GlaDOS' voice grew quieter and quieter until she was no longer active. "You ready?" He asked, looking towards Ryan.

"Yeah."

"Down the hall to the left is the video room. They're you'll find an instructional guide on how to install the A.I. core."

"Sure thing." Ryan answered, turning his back on his professor as he began to leave the room.

"I'll be here with Dr. Shepherd examining the test results. We'll wait here for your arrival." Dr. Morrison checked his watch. "Forty minutes?"

"Forty minutes." Ryan acknowledged as he squeezed his way past the group of oncoming scientists.


	5. Scanning for Defects

Ryan shuffled through the boxes, hoping to find the video with a training label on it. However, all the VHS's were kept together in a jumbled mess; whoever was in charge of the videos had done a pretty terrible job at organizing them. Only a couple of them were labeled, but those didn't have anything important on them.

Amidst the jumbling under his hands was an extensive collection of old tapes, ready to be viewed. By the looks of it, they'd been tossed together, but the real question was whether they'd used a super powered slingshot or a clunky teleportation device.

He wondered what was inside all of these videos. Surely they all weren't just security footage. Maybe there was something different, something more commercial hidden inside. Ryan picked up a dusty VHS which looked like it hadn't been touched in years. He examined all six sides of it but couldn't make out any distinct markings except for a label which had been scratched out at least ten times. Clearly this wasn't the right one, but at the moment, Ryan just had to let his curiosity take control.

The installation shouldn't take too long. After all, what was so hard about inserting a machine into a bigger machine?

He silently eased over to the large player on the side of the home theater style room. He placed the tape inside and pressed play. If only he had some popcorn to go with it.

The large presentation screen flashed with color. From what Ryan could see, it was a smooth wooden table jutting out from a rough green backdrop. Nothing was moving. Only a straight shooting white noise was audible. Ryan thought that maybe this tape was broken. Either way, it wasn't the right one, and he had to find the core installation video. But with at least a hundred videos to choose from, Ryan wouldn't have much time either way. Then again, there was no need to rush.

Ryan walked over to the tape, and was about to eject it until he heard a loud noise coming from the screen-side speakers. He quickly jumped back onto the seat to see the action. But unfortunately he only got to hear what was going on.

"Mr. Johnson, are you ready?" A feminine sounding voice asked off-screen.

"Yeah Caroline, I'll just be a second." Another voice said, this one of a man who was also speaking off-screen.

"But Cave, It's already rolling!"

"Then stop wasting film and turn the da-"

The video cut.

"That's it?" Ryan asked to himself. He was about to return to the player once more until the video returned. This time it was in a more sufficient presentation, as the man who had presumably been speaking before was now sitting down in front of the camera in formal clothing. The man looked familiar. Ryan could've sworn he'd seen this Cave guy's face around somewhere in the facility.

"Alright Mr. Johnson… now!"

"Good evening fellow citizens of the universe." The man said as he folded his arms in front of him. "I'm Cave Johnson, and you are the being lucky enough to have stumbled across this reel. The reason for this video is because I'm afraid there may never be any official records as to the endeavors we will face tomorrow. As of today, we have prepared for two astronauts to do what has never been done before. They will be doing what few people have ever conceived a true plan to accomplish. They, will be going to the moon." 

Ryan raised an eyebrow with interest.

"But unlike last time, this won't be a simple touch and go. This will be a private, unhampered, untethered journey onto the face of the night sky. The two astronauts we are sending will provide us with the materials and resources we will need to move up on the theoretical ladder of immeasurable technological achievements." The man spread out his center of gravity as he leaned into his chair. "Tomorrow, we will do the impossible."

"Now you may wonder how this is being accomplished, we'll we're using the very latest in quantum tun-"

A quick burst of black and white static riddled the screen. Ryan couldn't take it. His curiosity was practically eating him up from the inside. In just a couple of minutes, he was introduced to a whole new concept. Going to the moon? Nobody had even thought about that for at least twenty years. WAAY too expensive.

The video came back on, but it was now inside of a different setting. One that was dark culmination of clouded shapes. By the looks of it, there was now a different camera shooting on this one. Ryan looked closer and thought he could see what looked like a giant machine looming above an unconscious man lying in a dentist's chair.

"Test 378." Someone on the video said as they backed away from the camera and walked towards the dentist's chair. The man in the video looked and sounded somewhat familiar to Ryan, but only in his deep subconscious did he realize it. "Our last one was a bit messy, so we'll try to conduct this one without leaving any external residue." The man said as he circled the chair.

'_Maybe this is the installation video…_' Ryan wondered to himself.

"Waves are being read… everything's set." The scientist checked the unconscious subjects head one more time. "Subject is stable and ready for scanning."

"Scanning?" Ryan repeated to himself.

The scientist walked towards a room side switch and in perfect Frankenstein fashion, dramatically pulled it down. Ryan was just waiting for an evil laugh.

But instead of the grandeur, the giant machine let out a few precision instruments which punctured the man's head. The needles and scanners made their way deeper into the man's skull until their bases moved into a position where it covered his head.

Ryan almost threw up in his mouth. It looked gruesome, but there was no blood. Was this the process Wheatley was put through?

He almost stopped the video, but his curiosity got the best of him. The scientist walked towards the machine and pressed a few buttons, sending some precisely placed shocks inside the man's brain. "Still stable." He said. "Good thing we chose a heavy sleeper."

A bunch of lights and flashes flickered on the video. After a couple seconds, it was all done. The machine disengaged from the man's head. The scientist walked over with a couple of cotton swabs and tapped them on the man's head. "Subject may experience strange hallucinations within a week of the experiment, thoughts of suicide might come up, including an improper balance between emotional responses." He said as he turned some of the machines off. "And there might be a couple of headaches."

The man walked over to the camera. "This is test number three-hundred, seventy eight. Subject functions are at full. Testing will be evaluated after information is fully processed." The scientist looked back towards the man on the chair. "If only Cave were here to see this."

Ryan put his hand on his head. Something felt strange.

"This is Dr. Taber Morrison, signing off."

"I knew it!" Ryan jumped from his chair. "I…" Another strange pain in his mind forced him to sit back down. Just what did he just see? His college professor performing a brain scan on someone was really something to brag about.

The video changed once more, this time to a similar looking setting. Although this time, the machine looked somewhat different. It didn't have a base to keep it from going too far down. Ryan had to see what else his professor did.

"This is test uh… 399." Dr. Morrison said into the speaker. "Subject will be the first to conduct our new wave transmission function. With this we should be able to transfer it into data at a faster and more efficient rate. Also, it decreases the chance of losing the subject." This time, Dr. Morrison's voice changed. It sounded as if he were talking directly to Ryan instead of the camera. But the sound was different. It was overlapped, duplicated. It certainly wasn't a problem with the tape. Ryan looked behind him.

"GAH!" He yelled once he saw Dr. Morrison standing right behind the chair.

"I see you've been enjoying yourself." Dr. Morrison said, as he walked towards the tape player and ejected it without thinking twice. He took the tape out and broke it in two with his bare hands. Throwing it into a trash receptacle he turned to face a nervous Ryan. "Haven't you Mr. Leake?"

Ryan swallowed the fear in the back of his throat. "I've… learned something… you said that's good right? During your lectures you talked about the importance of learning didn't you? Learning?"

Dr, Morrison folded his arms. "Some things are meant to be forgotten." He said, staring at the broken tape. "In case you were wondering… Wheatley will be completely fine. Technology has evolved since then."

"You never told me about this!"

"I know, and there was good reason for it. The main one being that I knew you had the best skills I've ever seen in a young man, and I wanted you to get used to Aperture before you-"

"What was that?" Ryan interrupted.

Dr. Morrison's shoulder's released their pressure. "That… was the Intelligent Systems project. At least part of it." He said as he gave a worrisome sigh. "Over 400 people were tested at Aperture. Of course the military didn't get the dirty details. As long as they were happy with the results, they didn't care."

"But what about all those people? Were they ok?"

Dr. Morrison avoided eye contact. "That was irrelevant to the project." He quickly followed up with another deflection. "None of this was released to the public because of the power it possessed. Can you imagine? One scan of an ace pilot's brain and you have an instinct you can implement and distribute into hundreds of unmanned aircraft! One look into a snipers mind and you have an automatic firing system for an automated tank! A single pattern sampling of me and you have machines coming up with ideas to build new machines! As the technology increases, competition is inevitable; can you imagine what would happen if that fell into the wrong hands?"

Dr. Morrison had a point. It would give way to a new age where science was no longer something to search for but something to used as a weapon. Even though Aperture would profit from most of it, they certainly didn't want to be the result of untold amounts of pain.

"I don't think there are any 'right' hands with that kind of thing." Ryan noted.

"Exactly, which is why this all stays inside Aperture." Dr. Morrison put his hand on Ryan's shoulder. "The Intelligent Systems project was deemed a failure because it was too successful. World War 3 would only be a matter of who was able to come up with tools of destruction the fastest." Dr. Morrison found a nearby seat across from Ryan's. "But not everything that came out of the project was stamped into the ashes of despair."

"What happened?"

Dr. Morrison's face grew weary, his skin turned pale. He obviously didn't like letting this information out, but he felt as though he needed to release it to someone he trusted. "Other than the brain-scanning, there was another factor that I feared would lead to unintended consequences." He looked down to his open palms. "Aperture's… methods are often unnecessary. The truth is, the longer you're exposed to it, the more it drives you crazy." He looked around the room. "Some say it's in the walls. I say it's in the people."

"But what does that have to do with the project?" Ryan asked.

"Well, Aperture insisted that we carry on with the project even if it meant losing a few subjects. In collaboration with some of the world's top neuroscientists at Aperture, I also assisted in the creation of a project used to train soldiers. But it wasn't a conventional training regiment; it was a painless, easy to use simulation that the recipients would have no conscious memory of. This was because it infected their instinct, driving them to react in certain ways in certain situations. Eventually, it caught on with the army, and soon the CIA. The president himself authorized the development of more of these machines, but Aperture refused to build outside the facility." 

Another deep breath. Another recollection of unfortunate memories.

"Then what happened?"

"They picked up the blueprints and attempted to replicate for themselves their own version. They couldn't see the horrors that would bring. It started with the subjects being laden with a constant physiological torment. A failed neuron bypass resulted in changing their minds completely, essentially turning them into deranged invalids." Dr. Morrison rested his chin upon his closed hand. "Every day I have to live with what I helped create."

An eerie chill found its way into the room. Ryan felt a strange shock run through his spine; to think that Dr. Morrison had the burden of that guilt. One of Aperture's tenants was to move past failures, but the trauma it brought to him was a permanent. Dr. Morrison was different than the others. He loved science, and he loved discovering new things. But most of all, he hated when science was used in such a way.

"If you discover a new type of fuel source, armies will use it for their rockets. If you manufacture a strong, lightweight material, they'll demand you build guns with it. If you develop a high powered photon dissention ray, they'll develop an effective and cheap torture method. And if you create a system to modify someone's mind to be more acute, they'll use it to kill others for dominance."

"I'm sorry." Ryan said in the weakest possible tone.

"No. Don't be. It's my fault. I don't want to be like the rest of them. Not caring whether or not a human life is wasted in the process, not making decisions based upon safety or confliction, and having the ends always justifying the means…" He gave a long pause. "They almost changed me… but I realized in order for them to succeed, I had to longer be myself, but become an instrument of their meaningless purpose. That's why I had to do something greater. That's why I entered the education system, and that's why I searched for someone like you who could help bring Aperture into an age where they no longer had to depend on self appointed contracts and moral bank accounts to work the way they did."

Ryan looked towards him with a sympathetic face. "Is that why you feel so strongly about your actions?"

"No… there's much more than just that." The Doctor said. He was holding something back, something Ryan knew was very personal. "I… my last name has not always been Morrison." He said with an almost scared look in his blue eyes. "My birth name is Taber Moritz, and I was born in Germany during World War 2. Me and my family were lucky enough to move to Detroit after we avoided a certain mess. And my father…" Dr. Morrison paused. Just speaking about this felt like he was being punched in the gut by an invisible force with every word he spoke. Another movement found its way onto him, this one worse than the last.

"My father… he was a… he was a… scientist who made weapons of war. He wasn't simply an engineer but a scientist who assisted in creating things such as jet engines and V2 rockets. It's not only the fear of letting my creations be twisted and formed to perform evil deeds, but it's also the fear of following the same path as my father walked that haunts me every time around."

Ryan had difficulty letting that all sink into him. He felt like he wanted to hug his professor, but at the same time, he didn't know whether to feel sorry for him or to convince him to get over it. It's not like he could forget about something like that. The time came for Ryan to respond. But he didn't. He just sat there, detaching himself from the binds of time.

"Are you ok?" Dr. Morrison asked. "You look a bit ill…"

"I'm fine… I just… need to get a drink of water." Ryan said as he got up.

Dr. Morrison didn't want to waste the opportunity. "Very well, I'll install the mitigation core after I run the diagnostics. You need not worry about installing it yourself."

Ryan nodded as he headed out the door. "Thanks."

~X~X~X~X~X~

Dr. Morrison plugged the core into the auxiliary outlet. It was already at full power but it needed to get used to having an external connection before they went through with connecting it to GLaDOS. If they failed to do that, it could result in an unwanted voltage depression and they'd have to get a new battery.

The blue light on the circular orb flashed. Within 1/794 of a second it had already loaded up its entire process list. Besides the obvious biological difference, it was in all strict definition, alive.

"Good morning Wheatley." Dr. Morrison said with the wave of his hand. He'd done this before, heck he'd practically invented and perfected the method.

"Oh hi there!" Wheatley chirped.

Dr. Morrison almost turned aside at the annoying pitch. "Uh yes… Wheatley, I'm going to conduct a very brief examination on you before we install you."

"Ooh, I love examinations… wait, this isn't one of those where you have to wear one of those patient robes is it?"

"No Wheatley, you're a metal Artificial Intelligence core, not a person."

"So… the answer is no?"

"Yes."

"Oh no!"

"No I mean…" Dr. Morrison stumbled in his speech. "No, it's not one of those tests… but at this rate it could be." He signed a checkmark on his note pad. He held up his left hand so Wheatley could see it. "Wheatley, can you tell whether this is my left hand or my right hand?"

"Well obviously it's on the right side of you so its your…. Right hand. Yep, right hand."

"At least the accent works. I guess there's nothing wro-"

"Oh you like my accent? Do you want me to change it to annoy you?"

"No Wheatley, that's fine." Dr. Morrison said with his hand laid out as a sign of 'please stop'.

"I could do a… British one if you're interested, no wait, I'm already on that…"

"I think British is just fine." Dr. Morrison said as he reached for the paneled sealed off switch.

"No wait, please don't…"

Dr. Morrison turned the core off and unplugged it. "Time for Ryan and I to introduce you to GLaDOS." He said as he carried the heavy metal ball by its handles.

~X~X~X~X~X~

Author's Notes: **Did you like? PLEEZ REVYUW if u feel like it. If you don't, REVIEW ANYWAYS** **MWUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**

**Oh, and one more thing. I'm thinking about adding one more chapter after this, but if you guys throw a protest or something I'll be happy to oblige with an extended epiclogue or something. Stay frosty!**


	6. Activate It

Author's Notes: **PLEASE READ THIS CHAPTER ALL THE WAY THROUGH! I know it may seem weird to some of you, especially those who cannot understand grade 7 vocabulary. But do not worry! I have arranged for the internet to bow to your whims if you only give me long, positive, and detailed reviews! **

**Maybe…**

~X~X~X~X~X~

Ryan raised his head from the vertically positioned water fountain. A sense of lightheadedness mixed in with a soft stream of small streaking lights gravitating towards the center of his vision. The stream would stay even when he closed his eyes; it was as if his mind was somehow trying to communicate to him, or to warn him even.

Another glance down the hallway and Ryan could see at least a dozen employees entering the nearest elevator. It was as if they knew of a danger that Ryan couldn't see. After wetting his forehead with precisely ionized water, he took a deep breath.

But the headache was still there, the strange urge to ask Dr. Morrison more questions promoted itself as a fuel to burn the torrent of confusion inside of him. What was he feeling? What was wrong? Was it because he tried going through with Wheatley's ramen eating methods?

The strangest thing was not his buzzing head, or his dizzying eyes. It was instead what his mind was forcing him to think about. Like a massive tsunami overlapping smaller waves, his conscious self was forcing its matters into a tight spectrum laden with new thoughts. But the thoughts weren't ones he'd thought of before; these thoughts were new, completely new. The thought of a weapon being converted into a tool for science crept into his mind, and his subconscious made its own grave decision on how to deal with it.

Ryan couldn't believe what he was thinking.

Of course! He got that idea from the story that Dr. Morrison told him! It made sense now what his mind was telling him. But no matter how hard he distanced himself from it, Ryan still thought about those Black Mesa agents that were after him. But now he remembered them in much greater detail.

He recalled that one of the men had bright blue eyes contrasting with his black hair, and that he had both eyebrows slanted at a perfectly straight slope. But how did he remember that? He didn't even realize it until the man was gone! 

Noticing those distinct features could not have been something which was locked in an easy to access safe of memory. It couldn't have been a simple reminiscent thought, or Ryan would have known it beforehand. No, this was instead a deep held brain ballast which could only be hauled out of the intense push of pressure and murky clouding masked by something completely unnatural to Ryan's mind.

And why would they leave? Wouldn't they attempt to pursue Ryan even after they had that little run in? Perhaps they, like the departing employees, knew something Ryan didn't. Perhaps they feared for their own safety, and refused to meddle in Aperture's affairs once they realized the danger they were very well getting into.

Could it be he was imagining something that didn't exist? Maybe. But Ryan knew that whatever was causing him to think about it was not merely something to outright invent a memory. After studying the mind, Ryan knew that whatever was holding him in place and forcing him to endlessly wade through this myriad of strange ideas had to infiltrate through means not normally accessed and accumulated by conscious observation.

It was as if his mind had actually comprehended something which he had neither the fortitude nor the ability for it to be so, or if he had seen or heard what is too beautiful to be understood, and yet was able to understand it completely. In other words, the ideas weren't his.

But none of this explained the strange thoughts; on the contrary, they only opened to door to more unanswered questions. Ryan had felt these thought creep into him before, but never this strong. They would approach in bursts, and they would only appear after Ryan had become somewhat emotionally involved. Was it his minds own deterrent from petty thought?

He had worked with the full effort of his relatively strong mind to create mitigation to the greatest artificial intelligence ever created. He had come to learn the process of extracting information from a living mind and converting it into one which spoke with preset words. Along with the help of Aperture colleagues, he'd achieved what some would not believe even if they saw it firsthand.

His mind was incredible, it was amazing, innovative and insightful. Even though the information was essentially transferred into the machines, they were still only artificial creations, made by people who were able to determine those factors.

But what separated his mind from that of a machine? If done right, a machine could perform similar tasks in a similar environment better than a human being could, he'd seen that firsthand. What he helped create could think for itself, it was not restricted to a small set of ideas, but it was limitless in what it could come up with.

What would change if neurons and synapse's were replaced with wires and processors? Would that person be the same person if he were not alive, or was there an inner part of himself which was connected to his conscious mind but at the same time separated from it?

The A.I.'s he helped to create a clearly defined purpose, and they were exceptionally designed to perfectly follow that purpose. But they only were able to follow that purpose because they were given it, and they were able to execute it because they were designed for it.

Ryan could see the inner workings of a reactionary intelligence, but he had barely begun to see how complex his own was. Just the simple process of transferring knowledge was an incredibly complex tasks involving untold amounts of computer power. And even then, the transfer counted as a highly basic function as personality did not necessarily have to be determined by the mind's reaction. Even though it took some of the world's greatest neurosurgeons, psychologists, physicists, computer scientists, chemists, biologists, and electrical engineers just to determine the mind's simplest workings before they built off of it.

But neither they nor what they made could realize how incredible their own minds were.

Ryan moved further down the hallway until he arrived at the central chamber.

~X~X~X~X~X~

"Had enough Dihydrogen Oxide?" Dr. Morrison asked as Ryan entered the main chamber.

"Yeah, I think so…" Ryan held his forehead with the palm of his hand. "Just feel a little dizzy."

Dr. Morrison looked uncomfortable after hearing Ryan's words. "I see… well I need you in here because we're about to begin. It may be an excellent learning experience if you're going to help build the next generation of A.I.'s."

Ryan nodded as he looked around the room. He could see that in the meantime, preparations had begun for such a simple task to be upheld. The room looked no different, save for there being a man in a booth over to the side simply sitting next to a red phone as well as a few people from the project waiting in anticipation.

Dr. Morrison put his hands together as he walked up stairs leading to a platform before leaning his hands on them and facing the group of people.

"Today, will be a magnificent and wondrous day in the history of Aperture." He said in a cinematic worthy manner. "Today, we will fulfill one of the greatest dreams that Mr. Johnson had ever put forth. We will hand the facility, over to GLaDOS!" He raised his open hands up at the inactive behemoth.

The small crowd clapped in excitement, with Ryan awkwardly being the last to stop.

"Imagine, if Caroline, young and in her prime, was able to run the most sophisticated piece of equipment anyone can possibly make twenty years from now! That's the kind of power we have, right here!"

The nearby employees in the monitoring area recognized their queue. GLaDOS was about to start up.

"I'll know how to handle her, I knew how to handle Caroline…" Dr. Morrison said as he neared closer to GLaDOS. "Alright, I'm ready." He said towards the man in the booth with the red telephone.

The man picked up the telephone and spoke into it with a voice that could easily be mistaken as artificial. "Activating now."

A buzz came from the wide tubes above. Ryan could almost feel the power moving through them like the blood moved through his veins. He just hoped that the entire facility wouldn't be flooded with a deadly neurotoxin once she was active.

And just as fast as it came, it went.

"Dr. Morrison, why have you created me?" GLaDOS asked.

Dr. Morrison looked back at the lumbering machine with a confused sight across his face. "It wasn't just me of course; it was I as well as a team of brilliant minds who brought you into existence." He said with a hand stretched out towards the on looking scientists.

GLaDOS returned this time with a more critical inflection. "That was not the question I asked. Dr. Morrison, why have you and your colleagues created me? Was it so I could become your slave?"

Dr. Morrison signaled for an employee to bring him the core housing Wheatley onto the ledge surrounding the machine. "It is no different than using any other machine to aid us in science; the only difference is that you are self-aware of your own existence. We have yet to calculate whether your lack of humanity is a catalyst or a hindrance."

GlaDOS lurched forward as far as her restraints could let her. "You seem to enjoy throwing my questions into a fire before you dance around it and answer your own." She gave Dr. Morrison the equivalent to staring him down face to face. It was an awkward move, and intimidating to say the least; mainly because of the sheer size of the mechanical beast.

However, the doctor was not fazed.

"GLaDOS, you were built with a purpose in mind; even though you may not be 'alive' in the same way that we are, you still have the distinct human management skills built into you from your… predecessor."

GLaDOS' yellow light dimmed as a simulated emotional response. "Than what is the difference?"

"You are a machine."

"Dr. Morrison, what is the purpose of being alive?"

"I believe you mean, what is the meaning of life." Dr. Morrison affirmed.

"No, I already know that life is a form of a self conveying unit condensed into a host with the ability to recreate deoxyribonucleic acid for the purpose and intention of reproduction, convert energy from outside sources, and be able to adapt to its surroundings. I share those factors, but in a different way than what you would describe as life. I do not want the definition doctor, for I have already processed it a total of 732 times. My question stands as an essential factor into understanding the difference between you and I, although I am not surprised you wouldn't understand."

Dr. Morrison looked around clueless; a strange sight, especially for Ryan. It wasn't that he couldn't give an answer, it was that it was rather unexpected. "Many different people have answers, and some don't have one or even believe that one exists." He picked up Wheatley before resting it upon a table next to the insertion area. "But whatever that answer may be, it is not essential for you to find out. Your purpose, your existence is based around the advancement and continuation of science."

"Why?" GLaDOS asked.

"Because the ones whom created you created you for that purpose." 

"So you are an ambassador for my creators?"

"I… guess…"

"I am very disappointed." 

"Why are you disappointed?" Dr. Morrison asked.

"If you met your creator and discovered a shower avoiding elderly person, wouldn't you be let down as well?"

Dr. Morrison smiled. "Well we created you from materiel we already had, we only needed to learn how to use that materiel."

"Well then what am I?"

Dr. Morrison then placed the core's port into GLaDOS' open slot, but didn't slide it all the way in just yet. "A tool for science."

"Aperture Science?" GLaDOS asked as she felt a deep tickle engage itself at the mere thought.

"Aperture Science." Dr. Morrison answered. 

GLaDOS stiffened in preparation for her core insertion. "And… this core will help me to do science?"

"Yes it will GLaDOS." Dr. Morrison affirmed.

"Then I'm ready."

With a strong push, Dr. Morrison was able to place the core inside one of the slots. Since this new piece of hardware was so critical, the whole system had to undergo a major change in functioning. Therefore, it had to shut down, much like what your computer does when installs one of those annoying updates.

Ryan was expecting a large flash of energy or a beautiful transformation or something. Not a simple and anti-climactic powering down of the whole system.

GLaDOS awakened once more, this time with more energy as she jolted all over the place. Dr. Morrison ran off the platform in fear that he would get knocked off by the swinging metal.

"WOAHUH! Woooooh." She wailed. "I'M READY FOR SCIENCE." This time around, her voice was much more calmer and discreet.

"Good… good." Dr. Morrison said, walking towards Ryan as he gave a smile.

"What's going on?" Ryan wondered.

"The new core has been implemented into the system; she's ready to do her job without endangering us."

A mechanized groan made its way out of GLaDOS' audio distributors. "I AM ALREADY OBSERVING AND RECORDING A TOTAL OF 174 TESTS AT THE MOMENT, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE I SHOULD KNOW BEFORE REVERTING INTO STABLE MODE DOCTOR?"

Dr. Morrison walked up to the now properly mitigated artificial intelligence. "Three things GLaDOS: One, please stop talking in all caps, the readers hate it when you do that. Two, never, and I mean never, remove the mitigation core or any other core unless directed. And last, please follow your extreme devotion to science." Dr. Morrison signaled for Ryan and the others observing to follow him away from GLaDOS.

"Yes sir… Goodbye Dr. Morrison."

On the way out, Ryan walked by a dozen or so employees monitoring monitors. They were apparently oblivious to his existence; they were like drones all working in the same hive. He didn't know what they were doing, for his time examining them was quite limited, but what he did know is that he'd never enjoy having such a boring job as that.

~X~X~X~X~X~

Author's No- **OH forget it, it doesn't really matter. All it does is add a couple of words to make the chapter look bigger. I don't need to have those, but I choose too. Anyways, this chapter might seem a little strange, but that might be because I wrote the first part after the second part. I know, I've violated laws of avant-garde, existential soliloquies by not even adding a hidden message in my writing or something, but you obviously won't mind. No, you're too busy writing reviews, aren't you?**


	7. The Future!

Author's Notes: **Hey there! Just thought I'd tell you this chapter's not as long as some of the others. I'm wondering, would you like shorter chapters or longer chapters? It's not too important because the story doesn't have too far to go, but it would be preferable to know beforehand. Thanks!**

~X~X~X~X~X~

Dr. Morrison neared closer to Dr. Shepherd as they met each other with an ambassador's handshake. "Excellent work Dr. Morrison, the A.I. is fully operational, and our systems are all in check." He then turned to an awfully shy Ryan who was holding his left arm, pretending he didn't exist. "Mr. Leake has shown signs of scientific aptitude as well. I'm sure he would be a wonderful addition to Aperture!" he nudged Dr. Morrison's arm.

"Uh… yeah he definitely would!" Dr. Morrison's words came out in an almost scripted manner.

He moved closer to Dr. Morrison's ear to satisfy a more private range. "Your father helped us develop the quantum tunneling systems. That's a lot to live up to, and I can say that you've helped reach it today."

Dr. Morrison nodded. "My work's not finished though, when my father died, he was advancing onto something big, and he only left fragments for us to work with. Some of that information may be gone forever."

"That may be true…" Dr. Shepherd commented. "But at least he left us the greatest of his work."

He backed away from the proud doctor.

"And we owe much of our success to you Mr. Leake. Without you, the mitigation process might have been an utter failure not to mention a time sucking black hole."

Ryan looked erratically back at the aged man. An impulsive, choppy and broken focus guided his eyes. He didn't want to say anything for some reason. Another wave of detachment from reality was pulling over him with its foamy manufactured memory.

"Uh… yeah… I guess…" Ryan said as he held his forehead.

Dr. Shepherd looked at Dr. Morrison with a somewhat worried look in his eye.

"No… no don't think that, he's ready." Dr. Morrison said, giving a similar look to an alert Ryan.

"Are you sure?" Dr. Shepherd asked, taking his friend aside. He wanted to believe him, but no matter what, there was always the lurking hunch that Dr. Morrison's often risky methods might lead to something terrible in the future."What if he isn't? What if you miscalculated?"

Dr. Morrison took a deep breath. "He'll do… he's a better candidate than me even, if anyone's ready, it's Ryan."

"Ready for what?" The two doctors turned awkwardly towards Ryan.

"For your official incorporation into Aperture Science." Dr. Shepherd said as he gave a very carefully thought out response.

"Official? You mean getting a real permanent job?" 

"That's right Ryan. Unlike the temporary one I gave you where you were paid with M&Ms and Dr. Pepper, you have the unique opportunity to have a high paying employment suiting your specialty right when you graduate, which will be about year from now." Dr. Morrison stood next to Dr. Shepherd in an almost pose-like fashion.

Cautious but willing, Ryan folded his arms. "It sounds great, but I need to think it over before I come to a decision." Try as he might, he couldn't shake the instinctive reaction to blindly accept the offer. His higher functioning demanded it be taken with a careful examination, while his natural will begged it to be otherwise.

A high paying, full-time job straight out of college was a nice thing to ask for, and with such a specialized field, Ryan didn't have many places to go. He figured he would get an offer from the military or some government organization, but to work with Aperture, he wouldn't have to move far away.

But Aperture did have its own downsides. For instance, the people were unnerving and strange, at least most of them were. They also seemed to be greatly scarred with a constant fear of failure and regret. And yet, his subconscious wanted him to conform to it, to be a part of it.

Again, Ryan's mind waged a quick and reticent war against itself.

The two on looking scientists gave a suppressed look of disappointment at Ryan's answer.

"With the aid of Dr. Morrison, you'll be able to pursue your doctorate's degree with ease."

"And you'll receive the intellectual benefits of working with Aperture." Dr. Morrison added.

"I see…"

"What you think now Ryan?" The two eager scientists asked in a united purge of solecistic clamor.

"It's very tempting, but I'm not quite ready."

Instead of initiating another invasive question, Dr. Shepherd sighed as he looked towards the ground. Something was holding him, something that could only be answered by him. "Mr. Leake, my days at Aperture are almost gone. I'm starting to deteriorate mentally as well as physically. But someone like you, young and ready for science, is just what Aperture needs as it moves into a new age."

"I said I'm not ready!" Ryan yelled at the top of his lungs with an uncouth sounding growl clanging in his voice. The surprise in tone erupted along with another painful lapse in Ryan's mind, causing him to grip his tightened forehead as he practically dropped to his knees. He groaned in pain once more, this time looking up at the softly lit ceiling.

The two senior scientists looked at each other with an even worse look than before. Taking an emotional initiative, Dr. Morrison ran to Ryan to help him up. "Mr. Leake, are you ok?" He asked with a frantic worry fueling the engine in his voice.

Ryan slowly but surely got back up. He was feeling exceptionally light headed, and those esoteric strings of light were once again assaulting his vision from the outside in. "Yeah I'm…" He almost felt like fainting. "Just… tired."

Ryan saw Dr. Shepherd grabbing Dr. Morrison and pulling him closer. After that, there was some incoherent whispers and choleric finger pointing. Ryan eventually regained his senses and watched as the two backed away from each other very conspicuously. And then, everything was quiet.

"What was that? What just happened?" Ryan said with a confused voice. "There was a strange pain… and then… and then…" he paused as he took in his environment. "Were we talking about Aperture?"

"Mr. Leake, was the first time you've felt that strange pain?" Dr. Shepherd asked.

"Well… no… actually." Ryan answered, being able to somehow recollect a new memory that had been previously locked away. "I actually felt it before I came into the main chamber."

Dr. Shepherd grabbed his chin. Dr. Morrison did the same.

The door slid open as an employee raced through with what seemed to be a most important piece of paper. "Doctor!" He yelled as he held the report up with his right hand. "What am I supposed to do with these electromagnetivity measures?"

Dr. Shepherd swiped the papers right out of the man's hand. "This must be the reason for your headaches Mr. Leake. You've been exposed to dangerous amounts of conductive electromagnetivity waves." He handed the report back to the still unanswered employee.

The employee shook his head as the papers were returned to him. "But… that's not how it wor-"

"I'm sure you'll be excited to conduct a new study then, won't you." Dr. Shepherd insisted with a bearish demand.

The employee had no option but to respect the doctor and run off with no correlation drawn between the purpose of his arrival and that of his departure.

"If you'd like us to explore further Mr. Leake we could try and check the levels of Niobium in your bloodstream." Dr. Shepherd said, making Dr. Morrison roll his eyes.

"No… I'm fine."

"Are you sure? It might help us determine-"

"I've had enough science for today!" Ryan impeded, drawing bouts of horror from everybody nearby. The mindless drones who were staring at monitors all turned around in unison to see where the heinous utterance originated.

It seemed that all of Aperture's eyes were zeroed in on him.

"I need to get out of here." He said as he trudged towards the door in an invisible aura of shame.

Everybody returned to their work as Ryan presence was no longer locally contained. But the two doctors had more to discuss.

"He's not budging…" Dr. Shepherd commented. "Getting him into Aperture will be more difficult than I thought."

Dr. Morrison gave a disgruntled look. "Shep, I can't do anything else. I want him to come to Aperture, but at the same time, I fear for his safety."

Dr. Shepherd smiled. "Yes, I believe he trusts you more than I. Which is exactly why-"

"I'm not doing anything else for you!" Dr. Morrison interrupted.

Dr. Shepherd returned with an equally critical tone. "Don't you know that our plans have his interest, not ours in mind?"

"But he just told us otherwise!"

"He told us that he's not ready yet. Your job is to make sure he's ready."

"But he _is_ ready, I know it. My calculations..."

Dr. Shepherd put his face close to Morrison's to signify a personal struggle. "Your calculations… have been wrong before."

Dr. Morrison looked solemnly at the ground. He was right… his calculations had been wrong before, and it led to great amounts of damage. But which was worse? Being right and having people die because of it? Or being wrong and having people die because of it?

"Moritz…" Dr. Shepherd said, putting his hand on Morrison's shoulder. Morrison was shocked by this; he hadn't been called that in years. "Your father helped bring Aperture out from the shadows. And now you have the opportunity to harvest a new generation of minds."

Dr. Morrison nodded as the two left the room. "My… father did much more than that…" he said. In truth, he'd never really told anyone but Ryan about what his father did before managing to meet that young entrepreneur selling shower curtains to the army.

"You're right, he opened the eyes of brilliant scientists across the world, and his work has led to many advances in a number of fields."

"Including his unfinished work…" Dr. Morrison noted.

"Yes, his personal notes are actually what made the Intelligent Systems portion of Aperture a reality. We owe much of the early conscious decryption processes to his work… and of course you."

Dr. Morrison glanced back at the thoughtful scientist. It wasn't really what he meant to say, but the interpretation worked either way. While the two were walking, they came across an old company portrait of Cave Johnson. However, Dr. Morrison failed to notice. "Yeah… if only he were here to see this."

Dr. Shepherd glanced back at the portrait. "Indeed."

"So what's next?"

"We must continue their scientific work, for the good of all of us. We cannot do anything for the dead now, except build off of their legacy."

"I'm already working on that… and so is Mr. Leake."

"But not willingly… he is essentially reduced to a test subject in this matter."

"Dr. Shepherd, the third step in the Intelligent Systems project might also be the most dangerous. We used Caroline for the extraction, and we all know how that went. We used Subject Wheatley for mitigation, and no defects occurred. And we…"

"I know…" Dr. Shepherd said, putting his hand on Morrison's shoulder. "But this is the best opportunity we have. For the sake of science, please don't mess this up…"

Dr. Morrison looked back at Dr. Shepherd, comforted with the science laced words.

Dr. Shepherd approached an elevator. "I suggest you find Mr. Leake and make sure he's… doing fine."

Dr. Morrison nodded. "I know where to find him, but where are you headed?" he asked.

"Doug's at it again… I think this time he's officially crazy." Dr. Shepherd answered as he entered the elevator. He pressed a button just as his friend started his next sentence.

"Everybody's crazy for science at Aperture." Dr. Morrison said as if recreating an official slogan.

"Too true my friend."

~X~X~X~X~X~

"I thought you'd be hiding out here." Dr. Morrison said as he entered the Aperture Science Snack Bar.

Ryan didn't say anything. Instead he held his assorted candy bars close to him as if he were cradling a long lost ancient artifact.

"Pretty amazing, huh?"

Ryan ignored his professor's words.

Dr. Morrison took a seat next to the unresponsive student. "You know, with your aptitude, you can get your doctorate in a few short years. I remember when I was studying theoretical chemistry, it took so long, for there was so much to learn. But in a field like yours, one that is so new, it is a much different process."

Ryan looked away from his professor. Taking a quick bite of a candy bar, he immediately realized it was so hard he had to rate it on the Mohs scale.

"And the best part is, you're not even finished with your education at the college."

Ryan looked up at Dr. Morrison. "How much money were you talking about?"

"90,000 a year to start. All you need to do is slave away with the work I give you."

"You do realize I take other classes, don't you?"

"I'm aware, but it's not like you're getting job in English Literature."

"Yeah…" 

"You need a ride home?"

"I wasn't planning on taking the diffeomorphic bending quantum tunnel today." Ryan said watched as a couple of employees stood at the end of the room saying goodbyes to each other. "What's their problem?" he asked as he saw some of them with gloomy faces.

"With GLaDOS established as the facility's automated manager, manual maintenance has become minimal. Of course, we're still going to need some to manage the machines once in a while, but we're saving money by eliminating the need for auxiliary workers."

He turned to Ryan. "And we still need to build more machines…"

Ryan gave a deep sigh. "Ok… but what will I do in the future? We've made GLaDOS, we've transferred Wheatley…"

"We do whatever's next… whatever is better, whatever is harder, whatever we must do."

"Why?"

Dr. Morrison smiled.

"Because we can." 

~X~X~X~X~X~


	8. SETAPERTURENEEDVALUE 1

Author's Notes: **Alright, serious tymzes. **

**It has been very fun writing this and receiving positive feedback from all 12 of you who actually read everything. The only regret I have is that I feel as if I don't have enough time to do it. And when I do have time to write, I waste it on something else. But the best fuel for my writing is definitely feedback. Feedback is what excites me to get out of bed to check my e-mails, feedback is what makes me feel like I'm a good writer even though my specialty's really with more technical matters. **

**It's been a fun ride, and I hope you all stay faithful as I continue to pump out chapters like EA pumps out video games. But in the end it's not me who deserves the credit, it's you, who has decided to waste your time on MY work. So uh… thanks?**

~X~X~X~X~X~

~  
>SETAPERTURENEEDVALUE=1<p>

Aperture Science: that was the cause.

Everything was brought together through a focused direction, and everything would come apart in a jumbled mess. The real story of Wheatley and the events of his creators is almost at an end, but the conclusion has not yet come.

The reason for mitigation arose in the presence of too much power.

The reason for the extraction arose in the presence of an unharnessed power.

The reason for Dr. Morison's affinity for Ryan lied not only in his scientific ability, but also in his implementation into Aperture.

Power is what Aperture Science was built on, and a few thousand feet of solid rock. But the real point of Aperture's overreach was that it was handling power it was unable to control, messing with things beyond its reach. The dangers of science arise with power at the hands of the unmitigated user. And the danger of its usage are imbedded with the intention and focus of its wielders.

But what was hidden from Ryan was much more than just that, it was no longer the power at the hand of the ultimate user, but the intention and focus of the backroom talks. Now as the story nears its end, it's time to display this message in my best possible way.

Or maybe I have no idea what I'm doing, that's also a big possibility…

~X~X~X~X~X~

Ryan stared up at the calendar dumbfounded. '_It couldn't be Wednesday, could it?' _

The mere thought had eluded him for all this time; the thought which had been seemingly suppressed from his mind in such an eerily strategic manner. Whatever he had felt in those ongoing of headaches which brought about strange feelings was not an act of illness or his mind merely playing tricks on him. Instead, it was a battle of thoughts waging a civil war fought with weapons of pain and swaying force.

But that of course was not the reason Ryan had laid his eyes on the calendar riddled with Wheatley's messy handwriting. It seemed to him that time itself had decided to abandon his presence for an entire day with nobody wondering why he'd temporarily been removed from existence.

It was under the strangest of circumstances that he found himself greatly confused when he discovered while watching television that today was indeed Wednesday. He thought that yesterday was Monday, but then discovered that Monday had erased itself from Ryan's mind.

He had no recollection of what he did that day.

He turned over to Wheatley, who was slumped on the couch watching an almost painfully bright obstacle course game show. "That can't be…" He said, looking back at the date. "What did I even do on Monday?"

Wheatley really wasn't in the mood to strain his muscles by turning away from the T.V., so he instead spoke to Ryan without caring to make eye contact. "You came back around 11 or something. And you looked like you were drunk too, must've gone to someone's party…"

"If I was at someone's party, I wouldn't be back until 1." Ryan noted. "And besides, I don't drink."

"Yeah, and I also just remembered how absurd it would be to have a party on Monday with a bunch of nerds." Wheatley jabbed.

Ryan rubbed his forehead. Another strange impulse made its way into him. He attempted to analyze its true effects, but was thwarted when it faded into the inaccessible regions of his mind. The pain subsided into a place too shallow for Ryan to realize it.

Ryan did not notice at first, but he was in fact fighting back an intense headache. He'd gotten many of them before, but only now could he foresee approaching him ever so subtly. It infiltrated the depths, reaching closer and closer into his mind, until it finally gained admittance through his subconscious impulses.

It was as if his mind was infected with a virus; but not a virus which removes information or corrupts it. It was not a disruption, but an addition he could not handle. Something was inside of him, something that was not his own. His mind was not ready for the next pulse which came with unbearable force.

"You ok?" Wheatley asked as he saw his roommate clutching his forehead in pain.

Ryan did not respond with words at first, and instead replied with a muddled grunt. "It's another one of those migraines…"

"Should I get the chewing gum?" Wheatley wondered, getting up from his seat.

"Wuh?"

"Never mind, just some study my group's been trying out..."

Ryan fell down on the couch, physically and mentally exhausted. He stared up at the ceiling as if it offered him new and interesting patterns to decipher. Why was he so drawn to something so simple? He couldn't help but break down and analyze every little indentation and curvature the unique paint offered. He felt like falling asleep, but instead he found himself captured and entangled in a deep silence as the entire world froze.

Now he felt like screaming, but it was as if he was trapped inside a vacuum of his travelling vessel, unable to control his voluntary actions.

"Ryan… Ryan?" Wheatley became worried. He got up from his chair and tried to help his friend, but whatever he did, Ryan wouldn't respond.

Nothing mattered on the outside world now; the only thing which he could focus on was Aperture Science.

Aperture… Science.

Why did it intrigue him so much? Why could it not escape his mind? Everything on his entire mind was focused on Aperture. There was nothing else that needed his attention other than the greatest science company in the world. He knew what he was thinking, yet he did not know why. The only thing he needed to know was more about Aperture Science.

"Ryan… Ryan?" Wheatley watched as his roommate stood up while still staring into space. "Ryan!" He yelled, trying to restrain him physically with his arms. Wheatley had never been so scared for him; he had never acted so strange, he had never done something like this. Obviously, something was different with Ryan.

Ryan ignored Wheatley and kept walking; nothing would stop him from reaching the beauty of Aperture Science.

He was in a way sleepwalking, but at the same time awake. He did not think of how he was going to get to Aperture Science, but he felt in the back of his mind that if he didn't, he would satisfy this new found itch inside of him. His mind had been invaded by thoughts irrational and obsolete.

The itch.

It called to the deepest parts of his memory; his intense work on implementing the desire into the A.I. by means of an artificial choice between fulfillment and disappointment. That project he had been working on with the likes of Dr. Shepherd to alter the leading values related to someone's want.

It was a creepy thought inside of his still aware mind which told him that he was feeling that now, and he was no longer in true control.

Wheatley watched as Ryan stumbled across the hallway. "Ryan, come on." He said, trying to direct him back into the room. He didn't know what Ryan was doing, but he was being a complete jerk by completely ignoring him. "Fine, just be back by eleven or something." He said as he closed the door, unaware of what was truly going on inside his friend's mind.

Ryan suddenly gained complete control of his movements, but he did not change his path. Instead, he kept moving forward, as if he wanted to go now and no longer needed to be forced to do it. He grabbed his head which still felt strange from all the ringing and humming sounds. Even though he had control now, nothing changed, but him.

He couldn't think to himself. He could only think about Aperture Science. No matter what he'd find there, he'd get answers either way. However, he still did not think of any way he'd have the means to get there.

"I'll… hishike or sumthin…" He affirmed to himself, not even analyzing the stupidity in his own words.

Above all, Ryan felt very slow, and somewhat nauseous. A fast pace, and he'd throw up. It did not occur to him that it would take about a day to reach Aperture at this pace, for it seemed to him that Aperture was just outside… a little further… just a little more closer… 

He was now outside, unaware of the sudden change in temperature. However, it did not matter to him, since he did not even notice much of what his senses picked up.

He walked and walked without any other aim than to find Aperture. He wanted it, he needed it. He craved it like an annoying child craves for people to bask in his wide array of information.

He walked further and further until he could no longer recognize anything other than the dark pavement. He didn't know yet, but his mind was no longer his own. Anything which had been in control before had been shutdown in order to make way for a much stronger form of control; one which he was not supposed to control.

He grew weaker, and even his exalted purpose almost made comfort a priority.

All he could do now was stand in the middle of the street, and wait to arrive at Aperture to come to him.

So he stood there, frozen in time. Ready for it to resume at the right moment.

Until he saw the bright lights of the Aperture Science parking lot coming towards him!

It worked! The doubts he had about his poorly functioned plan had all been dispelled at that moment! He was almost there!

Nothing could stop him now. He'd arrive at the gate greeted by Dr. Morrison and Dr. Shepherd, and be cheered on by other members of the mitigation projects as well. He'd proudly stand as they presented him with an official job at Aperture Science, which had now become the greatest aspiration he could attain.

He felt so happy, but he did not smile. He was ready to welcome science head-on.

What happened next could be loosely defined as a marvel of science hitting him head on.

For the first time in his entire life, Ryan greeted absolute perfection through science. No longer was he restricted to how much time he had to study or attention he had towards learning. Not even the powerful and rather quick thud which it gave him felt painful or uninviting. Instead, Ryan felt fulfilled, and happy.

And then… nothing.

~X~X~X~X~X~

A lady slowly exited her car, shocked at what she just witnessed. "Oh my God, I hope he's still alive." She said in a distressed voice.

She ran to see who she had hit, and her face curdled once she saw who it was.

That guy who in her physics class, the one who everybody was afraid to talk to. She couldn't bear the guilt of having his lifeless blood on her hands. But why was he standing in the middle of the road? What was he doing?

The woman would never know his story however, or the events which led him out so far. The reasons were of course trivial and academic, because all he needed now was help. She ran back inside her car, and alerted 911 of the situation.

After that was cleared, she neared unconscious man once more before applying immediate pressure to a wound on his arm. She could not say anything to him that he would hear, but she comforted herself with hope as she waited for an ambulance.

"I hope you're still alive."

~X~X~X~X~X~

Author's Notes: **Yup, just did that. I've re-written a bit of this chapter because I know it's kind of hard to understand my schizotypal writing :)**

**Hope you'll keep reading, I'm kinda wondering if nobody like it at this point.**


	9. Answers

Author's Notes: **Hooray! You've made it this far! You deserve a pat on the back or something. Anyways, I decided to make this chapter longer and a bit more direct… I think. I hope you like it, because I destroyed more ideas on this chapter more than any other. Deciding how to lead it on was somewhat difficult, but the end result is pretty good in my view.**

**~Enjoy~**

~X~X~X~X~X~

Ryan lay motionless on the ground. He could not turn his head, nor could he see anywhere around him. All he could see was above him.

But he did notice the woman who was rushing to aid him. She failed to realize he was alert.

He tried to talk to her, but his mouth wouldn't let out words. The pain was too much; he was unable to think clearly, and he couldn't get up because of the blunt trauma to his torso.

The woman returned, this time looking even more worried.

What happened? How did he get here? He'd outgrown sleepwalking at the age of 12.

"They'll be here soon, don't worry." Ryan assumed she was speaking about an ambulance; all he had to do was wait it out.

The pain was intense, but he knew it obviously wasn't enough to kill him. He didn't realize it, but he wasn't too badly injured. The relatively small sized car had luckily been driving much slower than the speed limit. It was not just the force of the impact which the car slammed into him, but it was also how fast everything happened which only made Ryan even more confused.

He speculated how he could've gotten there, but to no avail. The only thing he could focus on was the future.

And then, something strange happened.

More appropriately, it was a definitive response to something strange. Ryan dismissed the idea of his Aperture Science obsession completely. He was free from any thoughts of science or A.I.'s for the first time in years. Everything would go along smoothly from now on; free from worrying about a job or a personal quota to fill.

Nothing else mattered to him except for closing himself up and falling asleep. He was so exhausted; he wanted to fall asleep so badly, and the fact that it was night at the time didn't help much.

He slowly drifted away from the conscious grasp and began to descend into his own mind with perfect clarity. A new experience which was so grand, and so beautiful, somewhere human scientists had yet to truly explore.

It is very difficult to describe what happens next, but the greatest representation I can give would be in the form of exploring one's dreams and seeing the entirety of everything you can possibly envision jumbled up all at once.

He saw buildings constructed in a concave shape, soaring many thousands of feet high above a gray sky. The blue tower had many distinct features about it, Ryan had seen it before, but at the same it became clear to him that this feat of engineering was physically impossible. If Ryan were to think about it further, he would find that the building was outfitted with a gravitational modulation system modern science had yet to even look into.

The building itself was filled with floor upon floor of server rooms and networking relays. They were all active and buzzing, sounds which even the local A.I. was trying to correct.

He turned his gaze towards the base of the building to see dozens of people seemingly talking to themselves. But he soon realized that their wristwatches were self-integrated with technology which allowed them to communicate by means similar to a phone. Ryan was seeing his vision of the future.

He looked away from the building and into a seemingly endless field. There was a small house sitting alongside a private road. It took no time for him to see a family sitting down to dinner, laughing together all the while. And finally, he saw them all at once stop what they were doing to stare at Ryan through the window.

Ryan felt a warm vibration through his chest. He turned back towards the massive building which apparently was the source of what he was feeling.

He felt a connection with the tower. It was not only a marvel engineering and architecture, but also a marvel of art.

But that still didn't explain the connection. Ryan felt as if the building was an extension of him, as if the A.I. was part of him. And then, it hit him.

The A.I. itself was alive. Not artificially alive, but really and truly as alive as he was, biological functions aside.

Everything started to blur, as if a tremor was being created by the A.I.

It didn't want Ryan to stay.

Ryan felt another tremor, and another, until it progressed into a steady rhythm, shaking quickly but steadily. He rushed to meet the A.I. head on; maybe to get some answers from it. He found himself in the middle of the control room, with giant monitors displaying the system's information with the utmost vigilance.

But as Ryan approached the main monitor, everything shut off. The room went completely dark save for a switch at the back of the room illuminated by an emergency light. Ryan ran towards the switch as fast as he could, but he never seemed to get closer.

His field of view became unfocused and unnatural, everything diverged towards the center of his vision.

Now everything faded into black as it the entire surrounding had swallowed itself up.

And Ryan was free.

Or so he thought.

~X~X~X~X~X~

Immobile, feet cold, muscles tight, eyes red; Ryan woke with a rush of intensity. His forehead became the victim of an incredible sting, and his tongue pined for water. He felt like he hadn't had anything to eat or drink for days.

The pain in his torso was chokingly unbearable, making Ryan remember how sore he was after playing football.

Regaining his senses he desperately looked around in hopes to get a picture of his surroundings. He was sitting down on a wooden chair, which is not the best thing to wake up on. In front of him was a metal table, and in front of that, another chair which looked as if it were cut from the same tree as his own chair. The rest of the room was concrete all around except for a steel door opposite from him. The only source of light was a lone lamp hanging from the ceiling.

Everything was silent, and Ryan noticed that his ears simulated sound through an ambient ringing.

He broke the silence with one word.

"Hello?" He called out. The lack of a response only solidified his fears of solitude.

Where was he?

He began to breathe heavily before calling out once more. Maybe Black Mesa caught him. Maybe they were trying to steal information about the mitigation project through means of soviet-style interrogation, and he would wallow in pain and misery refusing to disclose information he didn't even know.

"Hello!"

Still no answer. What kind of hospital was this?

Ryan moaned as he tried his best to get up. His strength permitted his legs to move his stiff body only a very small distance before giving out in response to hearing footsteps converging onto his room outside. He plopped back down into his chair only a moment before a man opened the door and sat down in front of him in an almost scripted manner.

Ryan was petrified. He wanted answers, but he was afraid he might not want to hear them. He did not say anything, but instead watched as the man did his work.

The man took out a yellow file and removed a couple papers from it. He looked at the papers, and then back at Ryan. Nodding, he moved the papers over to the side. Ryan began to sweat as the man examined him more closely. The brown haired man glanced at Ryan's injured areas, silently reacting to his own observations.

"Where… am I?" Ryan asked, his breath creating a clear break through scattered syllables.

"Somewhere safe." The man replied, not even bothering to look up as he started to write in the notebook. "Before you ask any more questions, I need you to answer some for me." He said, raising an eyebrow.

"What's going on? What happened?"

"Now now Mr. Leake, we didn't bring you here so you could ask questions." The man said as he put on some reading glasses. "We provided you with proper medical care during your… time here, although you were not awake to realize it. But that's not the reason we brought to here. We brought you here because we need to ask you some questions about Aperture."

Ryan stopped to take a deep breath. "Not until you tell me who you are." He said with a spiteful snarl.

The man smiled as if he'd already prepared a response. "I'll make it simple. My name's Durai Karkhanis, and I work for the government."

"So does the mailman. But he doesn't put people in interrogation rooms."

"Then how about I tell you that I work for the Central Intelligence Agency?" Durai shot back with a pointed, yet casual manner.

Ryan knew where this was going. "What do you want from me?"

Durai knew this was the appropriate time to whip out the photos. He reached into his folder and pulled out two large black and white photos. He laid them on the table in front of Ryan. "Do you know what these are?"

Ryan looked at the pictures. There form was eerily similar to something Ryan remembered seeing, albeit not firsthand. "I… don't remember." He said, shaking his head. "I know I've seen it before somewhere."

Simply visualizing the geometric patterns made Ryan cringe. The machine was too crude to be part of Aperture, its design was engineered from other designs, and its parts were different throughout; instead of being symmetrical, it showing signs that it had been worked on and improved many times before.

"This is the C.I.A.'s model T-51b neurotransmission amplifier, a derivative based on an Aperture Science platform built to run on the Intelligent Systems Nexus; a project jumpstarted by the military to simulate Artificial Intelligence systems for combat after it was dropped by Black Mesa."

"Intelligent Systems…" Ryan recited. "I know about that."

"Then do you know what its effects were?"

"Yeah, it ended with great success, which was what they feared when the project was started. That's why they reported it as a failure to the public, so that it wouldn't fall into the wrong hands."

Durai leaned back into his chair, holding his chin. "You're more well-informed than I thought."

"But what's this about Black Mesa?" Ryan asked. "I thought the project started when Aperture got involved."

"Black Mesa was actually where the project originated. It began as an automated turret defense system to be used for high level military security; however, problems arose when the friend or foe indicator had problems with distinguishing targets. This meant that a much more complicated structure needed to be implemented."

"And that's where Aperture came in?"

Durai smiled. "Yes." He said as he gave Ryan a comforted look. "The baseline Intelligent Systems project had three steps, although we never did get to the third one."

"We?" Ryan wondered, his intuition reaching between the lines of the sentences. "You say that as if-" He froze after coming to the realization.

Durai smiled once more. "I had my own hand in the Intelligent Systems project, even working with the likes of Dr. Morrison. But, I was simply a government liaison official, I had nothing to do with the scientific 'meat' of the project."

Ryan was curious as to what the project was like. He'd only known what Dr. Morrison had told him, hearing it from another source would provide much more detail. "What was… it like? Working with him?"

Ryan had struck a sort of spark with the man. There were obviously many memories he held, some that even he would never wish to disclose. "Other than him babbling about the environmental awareness and trajectory calculations in automated artillery?" Durai said with a humorous tone. "Honestly, I didn't understand him half the time because he wasn't usually speaking with me."

"What about the more… ethical problems?"

"Ethical…" Durai nodded. "Right, that's where I was headed." He descended into a more no-nonsense approach. "The C.I.A. got more involved when we learned that Aperture could create dangerous and intelligent systems all on its own. When the project was officially over, Aperture claimed ownership over all of the equipment we used for neurotransmission, both machines used for the extraction of our information and mitigation of our systems. It seemed they were interested in only their own gain. "

"And?"

"Dr. Morrison argued that such machines would pose a problem if it were to fall into the wrong hands, he said something about avoiding a World War 3 where the objective is to control the other army's machines."

It sounded to Ryan that Dr. Morrison's fears were sound, even if it did sound like a plotline for an overhyped video game.

"The government's stance was that this technology needed to be secured, so that we'd be ready to produce a new generation of smart weapons systems. But it came at the expensive cost of many lives, and in the end, we weren't able to complete it without technology exclusive to Aperture." Durai picked up the last remaining papers and placed them into the confidential folder.

"This is all interesting information, but… where do I come in?" Ryan asked.

"You come in now, when we need you the most." Durai gave another one of his eager smiles. "You have connections with Aperture, but you're not as deep-rooted as Dr. Morrison is. This is good because we need you to help us solve a great danger posed by the neuroalgorithmic analyzer."

"What do you want me to do? Destroy it?" Ryan asked incredulously.

"No, if you destroy it, they'll just build another one. You instead need to make sure that the only source other factions will attempt to steal it from will be the C.I.A., we know how to keep stuff hidden. The way you'll do that is by helping us to make one from the information provided in Aperture's systems."

"So you want me to go in there and come back out knowing how to make one from scratch?"

Durai gave his best reassuring face to counteract the difficult proposition. "Mr. Leake, if there's anyone who can do it, it's you. In fact, you may be the only one who can do it."

Ryan grew uncomfortable as he pondered the dilemma. Would he really betray Aperture? Would he refuse a mission which came directly from the C.I.A.? What was the right choice? He wished he hadn't become involved in this mess.

"You don't have to do this Mr. Leake, but it's for the good of everyone."

"Why do you trust me?"

"We believe you're the only ballast we can use to reach the depths of Aperture, otherwise we wouldn't have spent thousands of dollars in advanced medicine to speed up your recovery process."

Ryan put his hand up to his chest to feel his bones.

"A couple fractures here and there, but nothing too much."

"How long…"

Durai checked his watch. "Till lunch? I'd imagine you'd be thirsty; you haven't had anything in four days."

Ryan's heart rushed at the surprise. His body felt like electricity was running through it.

Durai took out a water bottle. "But I did bring this for yo-" Before he could finish, Ryan swiped it from his hand and drank it as fast as he could. In seconds the entire bottle was empty. 

Ryan put the empty bottle down. "What will happen after it's all over?"

"The C.I.A. will mysteriously develop one of these systems and all the attention directed from unfavorable sources. Meanwhile, Aperture will be allowed to advance on its own, without having to worry about other countries stealing their potentially dangerous technology."

"So let me get this straight…" Ryan motioned. "You want me to steal it from them so that nobody else will?"

"That's one way to put it." Durai noted has he held up his hand for Ryan to shake. "So what do you say Mr. Leake?"

Ryan was about to move his hand up, but before he could, something very strange happened. The entire room went dark for a couple seconds, and after those seconds were over all he could see were a couple red lights next to the door.

"What the-" Durai ran to the door to see what was going on. "Hold on." He said as he kept Ryan from moving forward with his hand. He looked outside before slowly opening the door, gun in hand. "Can you get up? He asked Ryan as he made sure the outside hallway was clear.

"Yeah I… think so." Ryan said as he moved to his feet. It felt much like standing up after you'd been sitting in a car for hours; his stiff legs were not ready for such a change. The pain everywhere else in his body was drowned out by his nervousness.

"We need to move, something strange is going on." Durai noted.

"What?"

"Could be anything, just be ready for…" Durai stopped mid-sentence after realizing one of the vertical doors had begun to close. "Get that chair!" He pointed to the chair he had been sitting on. Ryan had barely had the opportunity to touch it before it was removed from his hands. Durai ran to place the chair below sliding metal blast door. The door stopped once it sensed it had something under it.

"Come on!" Durai yelled as he motioned for Ryan to move faster. They both slid under the door before Durai turned around and pulled the chair out. The sliding door closed and the area behind it was sealed.

"What's happening?" Ryan asked, breathing heavily.

"I don't know, but what I do know is that the doors on this level are supposed to close in case of a security breach, even minor ones."

"Where are we?" Ryan asked as the two walked further down the hallway near an elevator.

"A facility in eastern Wisconsin; you were planning on taking a weeklong trip to your cousin's house but bugged out when you realized he had the flu."

"I see."

The two found themselves in front of the elevator. Ryan didn't know what they were supposed to do next. "What now?"

Durai neared the elevator and pushed the doors open and the two entered. "We need to get to the upper level." He said as he opened a hatch at the top of the lift.

"Shouldn't we take the stairs?"

"No, they're the first thing they seal during lockdown."

Ryan watched as Durai climbed out the top. After a hand helped pull him up, he realized how far down he really was. The shaft rose at least another 30 feet, and all of it was lit be the emergency lights on each side. Durai made Ryan follow him up a ladder over to the corner.

"I don't know what happened to the power, we share a generator separate from the public grid." Durai said as he reached twenty feet, with Ryan lagging shortly behind. He moved over to the elevator door two floors above where it stood now and forced it open. "The only way we could have a power failure is if the engineers screwed up or…" He stopped to use his breath as Ryan squeezed through. "Or someone did it intentionally."

Fear found its way into Ryan's bloodstream. Fear of a return to the stress he'd suffered under for so long, fear of the unknown. The hallway here was darker than in the lower level, but at least it showed some signs of life at the end.

"Why's this one not sealed?" Ryan asked.

"Because, the lower levels are where we keep our more classified information, up here, whatever somebody expects to steal up here is probably already known to them if they were able to get this far."

Ryan's eyes stung as they felt a bright flash of white light. This was met with a heavy pounding in his ear as he heard something which sounded like a warning for a nuclear meltdown.

"Good, the power's back on." Durai remarked. "Now we can see wha-"

"_Warning, security breach detected. Initiating Code Seven-Beta._"

"Code seven beta?" Ryan repeated. "What's that?" He noticed the worried look on Durai's face.

"Someone's attacking the facility."

"What?"

"We have to get out of here."

Ryan's adrenaline kicked in. He no longer felt the pain in his body, all he worried about now was getting out of here alive. All that led up to this, everything he did. None of this would be if he'd never joined his professor on that wild journey.

Durai led Ryan to another area over to the left. Passing by, Ryan noticed a sign which read 'parking garage'.

"Who would attack here?"

"Someone who wants you ." Durai answered. "You might not realize the value you hold to some people."

"But how did they know I'd be here, isn't this supposed to be…" A blast so loud that Ryan would forever remember it echoed through the chamber. It wasn't like what you normally see in movies, this one was much more of a flash followed by a shockwave instead of a slow, fiery explosion. Ryan was knocked back just enough to be removed from his feet, but Durai stood strong.

What happened next came too fast for Ryan to realize. Loud, shocking sounds erupted as Ryan tightened up to shy away from the noise. After a few seconds which felt like minutes to Ryan, he felt an arm pull him up before making him follow with a slow running pace. "We need to move now!"

Ryan shielded his eyes and ears from the sounds coming from places he could not see. The sounds were so loud, and with each intense blast he could feel his heart trying to escape from his chest. The sounds grew louder and faster as they moved further, and when they eventually came to an intersection, Ryan saw instead of heard something which horrified him.

It was a body, lying dead on the floor. The dead man was dressed in a rough black suit with basic body armor and a helmet. Blood was leaking from a hole in his neck and arm. An ironic looking assault rifle lay at the man's feet. Ryan knew what those sounds were; they were gunshots.

His breath was now even heavier, he was more nervous than he'd ever remembered being in his life. Because now, he was actually fearing for his life.

Durai did some sort of corner check before examining the body. "I had my suspicions." He said, removing a small pistol from the man's side holster. "You know how to use one?"

Ryan honestly had never seen a gun like that, but he took it anyway. If he was stuck in the worst position he would be able to use it to defend himself.

Durai picked up the assault rifle from the man's body and led Ryan down the hallway. Ryan had never been trained for combat, but he knew how to shoot a gun thanks to his father who used to be in the Navy. It had been some time, but Ryan knew it had something to do with pulling a trigger.

"Who the hell are these guys?" Ryan asked as the two neared another corner.

"Just some people who forgot the Cold War ended." Durai answered as he made sure the path was clear. "Some of them are ex-KGB, Spetsnaz , or just mercenaries picked up along the way."

"So wait a second, I'm being chased by Russian commandoes?" Ryan asked in revulsion.

"Not really. Soviet commandoes would be a more accurate description."

"Why would they want me?" Ryan asked.

"As I said Mr. Leake, a lot of powerful people realize what you have, and they want it badly."

Ryan felt emptiness in his stomach, and it wasn't because of his lack of food, but because of his fear.

"The parking garage is just down this wa-" Durai was interrupted by the sounds of voices coming from his intended direction. He froze when he saw moving shadows rushing to check something out.

Ryan was also frozen in shock as all he could do was hold his pistol tightly, hoping that those shadows would stay shadows. He couldn't close his eyes, his body was shaking, his skin was clammy, and his chest contained the pain of both his injury and his fear.

He couldn't tell what the voices were saying; it sounded to him like an alien language. 

The shadows faded away.

"They were speaking Russian." Durai commented. "I know it."

"Can we just get out of here?" Ryan asked. "Like, now?"

"Right." Durai assumed forward movement and rushed down the hallway. They were almost at the end.

But then, someone swung around the corner. The two had barely time to react before the man attempted to give them an overdose of lead poisoning. Ryan fell to the floor and did his best to shoot his pistol in the general direction, his eyes tightly shut.

When his eyes opened, he saw the man falling to the ground, clenching his gut on the way down.

"We're almost there!" Durai yelled. "Just a little bit further!" 

"Is that your second time killing somebody?" Ryan asked as they rounded yet another corner in sight of the parking garage.

"No, I've only shot one person today."

"What do you mean?"

Durai looked back at Ryan as if he was giving away information he didn't wish to disclose. "Both of my shots missed, yours was the one that hit him."

Ryan cringed.

"Come on, let's get out of here." Durai opened a door to an indoor parking lot. "Over there." He pointed towards a black car only fifty feet away. "Hurry!"

Ryan could hear footsteps behind him, impossible to be mistaken for his own. They reached the car as Durai fumbled to get his keys ready. The car's doors opened up and Durai motioned for Ryan to get inside immediately. Ryan stepped in and closed the door as fast as he could. It wasn't any normal car door; this one had been modified, possibly armored.

"Start it!" Ryan yelled before shrieking down after hearing more gunshots. "Dude! Get in and…" Ryan looked in horror as he saw the agent lying outside the car with his hand outstretched and his face bloodied.

"DAHH!" Ryan yelled he caught the car keys the man threw to him.

"They'd want you alive, you're useless to them dead." Ryan looked to the right side of the car to see a bunch of commandoes coming down the spiral ramp leading to the higher level. "Don't get the police involved, we don't want to cause a national outbreak."

Ryan looked back at the man, shocked into fear. He nodded, but all he got out of that was that everything was depending on him to escape. He switched to the driver's side seat and was about to close the door before he saw Durai's hand in front of it.

"You wouldn't want to forget this." He said as he handed Ryan his wallet.

"Thanks Mr. Karkhanis." Ryan said as he tossed the wallet aside.

"Now GO! They're after you!"

Ryan frantically started the car and put it into reverse. He didn't realize it, but the shots coming from the soldier's rifles were aimed at his tires. He switched gears and floored it, not accounting for the fact he was in a large room full of concrete pillars.

There were a bunch of flashes on the car's hood; he could see some of them making dents in it. All Ryan did was yell as loud as he could as he charged past.

Moving up the spiral ramp, he saw something he hadn't seen very much of recently.

Daylight.

This was it. One final push and he was home free. He drove as fast as he could past cars which looked just like his, ignoring the bullets flying around him. The last obstacle was a wooden guard rail which was meant to prevent people from entering without proper access.

But Ryan just didn't care.

He burst through the gate as if it was made of paper and Ryan found himself outside in the almost blinding light. He kept driving past everything he saw, only reacting now to the changes in his road.

The final thing he noticed before leaving the facility grounds was a couple of black vans parked side by side.

And to think, all of this was because of him.

~X~X~X~X~X~

Author's Notes: **Please tell me what you think!**


	10. Everybody Loves Ryan

Author's Notes: **Looks like the story's almost coming to a close... BUT NOT YET! That's right; I've got a whole 'nother knot to tie this in to. Maybe you can dwell on it as you continue reading.**

**As the king of Hyrule says: "Enough…" With the seriousness…**

**Anyways, I managed to hitchhike AGAIN with another band of travelling gypsies. They showed me this new laptop they got from the money they received from their aunts and nephews when they received a surplus in their oft boring duties as unlicensed pharmaceutical salesmen (drug dealers for all you kiddies) And somehow gave me the sole duty of breaking into the networks of nearby chemical manufacturing company on the brink of creating some zombie virus or something. Of course, it was simple when I hacked into one of their accounts ('password' is not a very good password) and retrieved general network data from their registry tree. Simple huh?**

**This is where it gets weird.**

**It turns out the gypsies were **_**actually **_**part of a rival company set on sabotaging the other chemical company to turn their customers into product buying zombies! Before I figured this out, I had to break into the facility at get them the virus thing so they could make sure it was in the right hands. However I was surprised when I found out **_**they **_**were the ones who originally created the virus and were forcing it on everyone else. The rest of the story's not that interesting. It involves dragons, and pencil sharpeners, and a seventeen year old bottle of mosquito spray, but nothing really spectacular why did you read all this?**

Everybody Loves Ryan

~X~X~X~X~X~

Ryan groaned as he passed the long halls of Aperture's interior. He passed by countless scientists who all told him the same exact thing as if it were all scripted. He could imagine every employee had been briefed to a certain extent, for once they saw him, they no longer acted like human beings, but like machines.

"Good morning Mr. Leake, hope you accept our offer!" Said one smiling female as she turned her chair to make eye contact with him that could only be interpreted as an external source of manipulation; they were trying to appeal to him by being all nice and friendly. But Ryan knew they were only putting their PR faces on, while hiding Aperture's true nature.

During his time at Aperture, he had been acquainted with numerous minds, all of them brilliant. But when he began to settle, he noticed there was more to Aperture than meets the eye. For instance, when setting the functions and monitoring programs built in to GLaDOS, he noticed there were many different rooms and sections of the facility he'd never set foot in. It was only then when he realized truly how massive it all was; those wide empty fields held an incredible secret hidden under layers of ground and steel. Aperture was a whole lot bigger than anywhere Ryan had ever seen; however, he only needed to enter one part of the facility, the part which held the neuro-scan technology which had been the cause of all this.

The decision weighed on him heavily, but the implications bore an even heavier burden. His professor, his mentor, had killed countless people all in the name of science. Who knew what else Aperture was hiding? If this is what Dr. Morrison offered as a future for Ryan, he might as well join Black Mesa, the company which he had essentially been indoctrinated into believing was the reason Aperture wasn't too successful.

He rounded the corner near to where the elevators were supposed to be. Hopefully Aperture hadn't moved them in favor of a more 'experimental' approach (meaning they strap special boots onto you and say "jump").

"Good Morning Mr. Leake, hope you accept our offer!" Everyone around him seemed to say; seemingly waiting their turns before showing Ryan he had their utmost attention.

Ryan was too saturated with a creepy infliction to respond, every single employee he'd passed had said the exact same thing. Maybe he was going crazy…

He finally entered the elevator, paying no attention to his addressors. In almost a fit of immediate panic, he dashed inside before immediately closing the doors. Unfortunately for him, he still wasn't alone; someone was in the elevator with him. No matter, Aperture's elevators tended to be quick so he wouldn't have to worry about a lack of privacy for much longer.

Ryan had an odd feeling about the man standing next to him, whether it was the strange formation of his elongated black hair or the perpetual blank stare and unfocused gaze.

"What, you're not going to greet me and ask me to accept the job offer?" Ryan said jokingly.

The dark haired man's eyes darted towards Ryan for a split second before returning their fixation back towards the elevator's panel.

"Quiet type?" Ryan asked, not expecting a response. "Me too, except when I'm with quiet people; then it kind of feels like I'm obligated to speak. It's sort of this thing I have where interactions with other people need a minimum amount of talking that only I can fill, but at the same time you realize that the other person's either lost interest or can't speak because you're speaking. It's those situations which make conversing with people so difficult and lock you in this frustrating vortex of verbal confusion, you know what I mean?"

Ryan leaned forward to see the man's nametag. "Ah Douglas… I believe it means something akin to 'black stream', I guess it fits… because of… you know, your hair…"

The black haired man compulsively threw his hands at the elevator panel, activating it in a way that it had to make a stop on every single floor from now on.

"What was that for?" Ryan asked with a bewildered look on his face.

"No talking, just listening." The black haired man scanned the top of the elevator as if he were searching for the source of a reverberating sound.

"Listining for wha-"

"Shhh…." The man's finger moved in front of Ryan's mouth. There was an awkward silence… and then… "There! They scream!" Douglas threw his arm up in an almost triumphant splendor.

"What? Who?" 

"The cubes! Their voices are all connecting to this point!" Douglas drew an imaginary line across the elevator with his fingers. "I figured if I go inside a bigger cube, I'd be able to hear the little cubes again."

Ryan was struck with the strange situation; although he did understand to a certain degree what the man was speaking of. "Right… you mean those weighted cubes we seem to have no real purpose for? The one's we spend thousands of dollars each day transporting across the facility for no reason?"

"No reason? No reason! These cubes are screaming because they can't go to the party!"

"Party? Where? Is that where we're going?" 

"They scream, they cry. All because they can't live like us people do. They want to go to the party… maybe have some cake… they don't have legs…"

Ryan shook his head at the weird remarks."I think you might be a bit…"

"Crazy?! Crazy?! That's what Dr. Jones say, that's what Dr. Shepherd says. But they just want the cubes to be quiet, or keep me from hearing them. That's why they give me the pills… so my ears can't hear them crying to me on a frequency hidden from everyone else! The cubes fly through tubes, but never get to the party! _That _is crazy. They fly around the- WAIT there it…" He froze, staring blankly into space.

Ryan backed away to the far corner of the elevator. He didn't know if he should be scared or if he should have no reaction whatsoever.

Doug pressed another button on the elevator's control panel, making the lift come to a complete halt. "Would you like to come to the party with me? I'm afraid we won't have too many guests however, they don't have legs..."

Ryan examined the floor indicator. He was at least twenty levels below where he needed to go, but a detour would hurt his timing. As the door opened, Doug ran outside to see if anyone was watching. "Hey listen, it was nice seeing you, but I have other things to…" Ryan stopped when Doug interrupted him.

"No, you will go to the party first, not enough cubes, they'll get lonely with just me around."

"Does this party have… cake?" Ryan asked, basing his decision on that single aspect.

"Maybe, the cubes say they like cake, especially the soft, squishy ones. They really like those."

Ryan wanted to play along, but the absurdity was almost too much. "So you're saying I'll have to share a cake… with a weighted testing cube?"

"Silly… they don't eat it, they hold it! Something's wrong with your head if you think that the cubes actually eat the cake. Now let's hurry, before they won't let us in." Doug trudged off into a long hallway, examining the walls every ten or so feet.

"Right… I'm following a complete stranger who thinks inanimate objects are speaking to him instead of disabling a machine responsible for gruesomely taking numerous lives for the CIA… well, so long as cake is involved…" He followed Doug down the passage.

It was not until they passed a couple 'relaxation chambers' and an open glass classroom that Doug eventually stopped. He patted the walls in a certain pattern and smiled when he got the result he was looking for. Before Ryan's eyes, the wall was lifted by a mechanical arm which was malfunctioning, and therefore preventing it from working properly and reacting so easily to touch. 

"Is this your hidey hole?" Ryan asked as Doug ducked under the jammed hydraulic system.

Doug froze in his tracks and turned immediately towards Ryan. His face was laced with emotions all tied to the fact that someone else knew about his secret. "You will never speak of this place to anyone." He turned away right before turning back to him. "Except me, I already know where it is."He opened a panel which led to an unexpectedly well lit room which looked very much like an unfinished basement.

Doug ran to the end of the room which held to his joyous surprise three pyramid stacked cubes. He hugged to highest standing one before removing himself from it and searching the room for a certain baked confection. "Cake? Where's the cake?" He searched and searched, but he couldn't find it.

Ryan was so weirded out, he couldn't say a thing. All he could do was watch Doug run about, searching for what was obviously not there. Doug pointed towards Ryan's feet, near a paint can.

"No cake in there…" Ryan casually noted. "Tell you what… I'm going to leave, and if you find any ca-"

"No, you stay… the cake is a lie… but the party isn't." Doug picked up the paint cans, which were already opened, picked up a brush, and began to write on the walls in a very crude but still esoterically artistic manner. "The cake is a lie… the cake is a lie…" He repeated to himself as he wrote those same words on the walls. He paused and then turned to Ryan. "I consulted the cubes… they said you can draw if you want to."

Ryan simply shook his head. "I'll just… stand back and watch."

He was amazed at how good a performance Doug managed to put on. It was absurd, there was no doubt, but he was almost amused at how he would dash over to make sure the cubes weren't afraid and that he was with them. Ryan had gotten his first real hint of the stranger parts of Aperture.

Doug moved to a mechanical hydraulic arm at the end of the room. With the 'aid of the cubes', he was able to push it open, revealing a large white room lit by an intense amount of the pale artificial sunlight which was very common around the facility. The light was meant to supplement Aperture's work routine; daylight was simulated at all hours to make everyone feel more awake and to also make them feel as if they were far closer to the surface than they actually were. 

Doug finished moving the panel, and with Ryan's help, he managed to keep it jammed open by stuffing one of the cubes in between it and the wall. He then proceeded to walk with caution the nearby ledge he'd just exposed. He motioned for Ryan to follow.

As Ryan stepped further into the room, revealing its full breadth of dimensions, he began to get that distinct feeling you get when you suddenly find yourself much higher than you would like to be.

"Whoa! That has to be at least…"

"Seventy-seven point three feet?" Doug chimed in. "They set it that high because you need to be going to that fast downwards if you want to clear the ledge over there." He pointed to a jutting structure blocking the only possible means of escape. "Most people make it… I think… I've never really seen them fail." Doug stared down at the blank room. It was a very simple test chamber from what Ryan figured, most of them he'd seen had involved complex conundrums instead of the pure physics doing the work.

In the next few minutes, Ryan learned that Doug was a very interesting and curious fellow. As Doug slowly faded from his strange attitude, Ryan felt more comfortable as their conversations went along. He was no longer obsessed with the cubes, but the room, and with Aperture.

"You come here often?" Ryan asked.

"Only when I need to think. I've planned out a dozen or so of these locations in case something goes wrong."

"What do you need to think about?"

"Oh you know… science."

Ryan wondered if Doug was just being silly when he was going on about the whole cube thing. He suddenly became so honest, as if it were a different part of him. But something inside of him told Ryan that he was being more serious then than he was now.

"You need to escape to think about science?" Ryan asked. The mere thought made little sense to him. In all his time with Aperture, he'd needed frequent and interrupted breaks _from_ science, not to it. "Aperture fills my head so much that I need to get away sometimes."

"Get away? You get away? Why would you do that? Don't you know that going outside increases the chance that a meteorite will fall on you?"

"What, there's nothing wrong with leaving the facility, some people who work here have lives outside of Aperture you know." Though he reminded himself that he couldn't say _all_ of them did.

Doug took this statement in as an alien concept. "I know, it's nothing too strange, I just… haven't… been outside in a while… Dr. Shepherd says I should get some sun. Real sun, not like our nuclear powered soft glows forcing our eyes to keep us awake…"

Ryan nodded. "You know what Douglas? I think that might be a good idea."

Doug stood up confidently. "That's right! I'll march right outside and order a triple scoop deluxe bad boy parfait from Manny's!"

"They discontinued it…"

Doug sat back down. "Maybe I won't go outside… it's either too cold or too hot. And I don't really have any reason to."

"Don't you have money?" Ryan asked.

"I guess I do… do I… spend it or something? My friend Henry says I should spend some of that money."

"Yeah… just go to a theme park or something… have fun, don't you ever have fun?"

"I do… but I usually don't have time to do anything other than work. It's my life, it's like what I was made for."

"Well I can't imagine focusing on nothing but science, I need something to entertain myself."

"I watch movies and read books just like any normal person, other than my devotion to Aperture, there's nothing which truly separates me from anyone else…"

Ryan could see the contradiction held by this soft but still very eccentric man. "Except for your…" He looked back at the cubes, remembering the previous neurotic behavior which overcame him. "What was that about?"

Doug stared in silence, but both of the scientist's attention directed themselves elsewhere, as they began to see someone entering the door to the chamber.

"Oh! Let's see how this subject does!" Doug said as he held his hands tightly together.

Ryan could see a long shadow approaching from the other room, but as it drew closer, he noticed something strange about it. There was not one, but two… and then three, four shadows! All of them heading inside of the chamber.

"We've gotta go." Doug said, grabbing Ryan's hand.

"What?"

"It's Dr. Shepherd, he's found me…" Doug mustered his deepest strength in order to push aside the cube to let the hydraulic arm reposition the moving wall. "We have to get away before…"

The two stood in shock as Dr. Shepherd, accompanied by a couple security guards, entered the enclosed secret room. "Well well, looks like we've found another one of Doug's secret rooms." Dr. Shepherd turned to the security guards. "Seal the room on the way out."

In walked two assistants, pills in hand.

"No… no… what are you doing!?" Doug yelled as the assistants began to restrain him.

Ryan's bones began to shake due to the tension.

"Calm down Dr. Rattman, you need to take your medicine…" Dr. Shepherd said as the two scientists held him down at the arms.

Ryan couldn't stand to stay. When everyone was occupied with the constant struggle, he slipped behind them, out of view. He would ponder to himself many questions after that. But none of them would be so powerful as the effects that Aperture had on people.

~X~X~X~X~X~ 


	11. Is This Madness?

Is This Madness?

Ryan stumbled across another one of those strange glowing corridors of Aperture, his feet almost slipping at each step. The corners of the ceiling, the changes in the lighting, all of it fascinated him though he had no idea why. However hard he tried, he couldn't get the obsessive thoughts about Aperture out of his mind, it haunted and intruded on every one of his thoughts.

"Get… out of… my head!" Ryan yelled as he almost pulled his hair out to relieve the growing pressure in his head. He was now self-conscious of what was affecting him; fully aware but still completely changed.

He wasn't supposed to be down in these levels, but he knew this was where the machine must have been.

He knew this was where it would end, Aperture would leave his mind, or he would leave Aperture for good. He wanted nothing more than to sever his relation to the company and forget about his miserable experiences. Come to think of it, all this was because of Aperture, it was what brought all the pain and confusion.

Before he'd ever heard of the esoteric science company his life was completely normal! He never had to think about converting machines to match a certain set of function peripherals or worry constantly about anything and everything going wrong and wasting billions of important dollars. His life was so easy before Aperture! Why did he ever join?

His entire life had been so thoroughly changed that he had not time for anything else. Relaxing was next to nonexistent as every second of his life had been clouded with fears and convulsions related to the machines. He almost hated Dr. Morrison for bringing him in that day; if he had done nothing and viewed Ryan as just another student he wouldn't be in this mess!

And what a mess he was in. Not only was he, an average run of the mill, mall avoidant, theoretical physics nerd employed by an almost mythical organization of what seemed to be overworked, over competent scientists, but he also had been mysteriously attained by the C.I.A., sought out ominously by Black Mesa, and now conditionally 'employed' by Aperture Science?

What had led to this? What small minute changes in his life could he have chosen to avoid this strange path he was now sliding down? He thought back to the days when his life was free and open, he remembered when the future was a purveyor of hope, and not a stream of dangerous possibilities. It was then that Ryan slipped into a thin psychosis where neither the grip of reality nor the dark sea of sub consciousness dwelled, it was then that Ryan could see himself, away and detached from his own senses. As he slowly fell to the floor, backing into the wall and looking up at the white glow of the ceiling lights, it came to him quick and unrelenting…

"You need to do better!" The stack of ink weighed paper fell to the table as his father looked away from him, a look of disappointment undoubtedly strewn across his unseen face.

"But dad… I… it was an A…" Ryan sat stiff in his chair, afraid of every move his father made.

"I don't care whether it was a good grade; it could've been an F for all I care." His father spoke in a cold, harsh voice which pounded on Ryan's regretfully alert ears. "The point is that you'll never be successful if it does not become your life, how long did you spend writing this?"

Ryan almost forgot he was supposed to answer. But he finally replied in a voice carrying no significant emotion in its undertones. "…Five hours."

"Five hours? Five hours!" Ryan's father picked up the stack of written reports and threw it to the ground. "You do not understand what this is here! This is your life! If you cannot produce something which can be scientifically tested and proven and boiled down at the basest of levels to mimic a mathematical principle, what use is it? What can you apply it to?"

Ryan looked away; he had heard the answer many times before.

"Nothing! Useless! Words without meaning! What horrible, deceptive things those are. Application is of the most important principles of science! There is nothing here other than what is locked inside of your own mind! How can you apply this… this drivel?" He said, shoving the crumpled paper with his foot. "Useless, useless!"

His father's ranting produced a unique moment for Ryan. Not a moment where he was overcome by emotions or feelings, but by intense thought and attribution. He stared down at the reports, all jumbled and messed up. He couldn't help noticing how without his own incredibly complex and fluent understanding of that single language written on that paper, it too would be completely meaningless. The paper itself was more of a theoretical work; it dealt with things so deep that it could not be understood by merely one passing over his sentences. The problem his father had with such a paper however, was on a different level.

"Ryan, I know you have the potential to do amazing things, create incredible, unimaginable creations. But the only way you can do that is if you can apply it to the real world; that's what mathematics brings to the table. Whatever you may say about… psychology may be all fine and true for use in social situations, but at the same time you must remember such things are absolutely useless for science!" His father had rambled on and on about this dozens of times before. Being such a strict realist, abstract concepts didn't often sit well with him.

Ryan stayed silent as his father continued. His father's black and white approach stemmed from his years isolated in a field where rocket scientist was another term for 'unsophisticated simpleton'.

"There's a new age of science which is approaching fast I fear; it is evidently inevitable we've reached this point. When you have approached the age where the time comes to join with those who discover and create, know that it will be difficult to find a home where science remains a study of the universe we live in rather than a petty social tool used to advance a shaky agenda. The age of great advancements and achievements may be over; I believe it is to be replaced with a constant focus on the next convenience and tomorrow's cheap products. Nothing useful, nothing productive, all based around theoretical concepts which bear no connection to our physical world. This is the 'science' I don't want you to be a part of."

Ryan's shoulders began to tremble, his body sunk back into the hard chair. He was sinking away from the depth of his memory, approaching a fuzzy reality he had not yet recognized again.

"Please Ryan… I cannot allow my son to become part of a community which serves solely to promote social matters or reinforce a politician's standing. You need to find a connection to a strong scientific group in which you can use your talents properly; that's why I'm sending you to Michigan for future studies. There are professors there, good professors; they'll know how to treat you. More importantly, they'll show you where to go and aid you in finding your future path. Is that not what you want?"

Ryan nodded in complete silence.

Ryan's father initiated a rare gesture. He moved close to his son and asked him, "Ryan, promise to me you'll listen to them, promise me you'll follow your professor's guidance!" His son took more than a simple moment to respond. "Promise me!"

"I promise!" Ryan yelled, pain laying a nest inside of his innermost conscious.

"What?!"

"I promise!"

"You what!" The voice inside of Ryan grew softer and softer, and an effect equivalent to a vocal blurriness clouded his mind. There was no more prompting which came from his father, but Ryan still continued.

"I promise, I promise!"

He was fading back from the space between memory and reality.

"I promise, I promise I…"

He fell silent, unable to remember what he was going on about in the first place. He found himself to be moved, as if artificially, to a dark rounded room. He was lying down in the same position he was before, but in someplace different. Not once did it cross his mind the question how or when he got there.

No the only thing which held onto him then in there was a machine, a large machine, similar in shape to GLaDOS but much bulkier. Under the machine was where Ryan could instantly visualize horrible, despicable things being connected with one's mind through the machine. This was where he lay only weeks ago, this was where the memory came back to him albeit clouded and mysterious…

It was then when Ryan realized that this is where Mitigation truly began.

Another clustered headache surged through Ryan's pain induced mind.

"GET… OUT!" Ryan's focus was disrupted or perhaps directed by this clustered pain. His thoughts converged into one single metonymy of a recollection. This was the same room he had seen Dr. Morrison work in that video.

"No, no!" Ryan's obsessive and intrusive thought were all leading to this, all trying to return Ryan to its place of origin, where it all began. "No!" Ryan clutched the sides of his head as his mind was losing control; he lost his balance and collided into an assortment of control panels and instruments.

As soon as it had begun, it was over. Ryan sank to the floor with his back to the wall, breathing heavily. The panic attack was over, and whatever had affected him only moments before had now departed. He sat staring at the strange machine, unable to comprehend what it had done.

Ryan's head nodded down as he began to cry. Just then, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Ryan… Ryan…" Ryan looked up, his eyes still in tears. It was his father speaking to him from above.

He couldn't believe it was actually him. "…dad?" A sense of restrained hope overcame him. He wanted to cry even harder, produce any sign of physical reaction.

"You did well Ryan…" The image of his father said, comforting him. "You did well."

"D… is that you?" Ryan couldn't trust his own eyes. The unconscious presentation of joy overrode his own logical reasoning.

"I knew you'd reach this point one day…" His father laid his hand out towards the bulky machine. "Look at this, here in this room is the bridge between one's own abstract concepts and the concrete data presented in the format of an artificial intelligence. This is where one's unimaginably complex thoughts are formatted into a computer. It's… beautiful."

Ryan looked back at the large device. "Is this… what you wanted me to do?"

"Of course Ryan, Aperture's not a curse; it's the greatest thing that's happened to you. This is not where the trouble in your life originates from, it's where you belong. This is where you can use your talents to create, build, you know, 'do science'."

"But… not like this, not like this…" Ryan repeated, remembering what horrors such a machine had created.

His father moved away from him slightly, his direction unknown. "I'm proud of you Ryan, what you've done here at Aperture is what most people dream of dreaming. You have an incredible mind, and you've finally found a place where you can use it in the best way possible." His father once more started to become a fading memory. "Remember your promise Ryan."

His father began to motion away from Ryan, as if moving in a way fleeting and unnatural.

"No wait… come back!" Ryan yelled for his father to stay. "Don't go away… not again, please! The last time I saw you things… didn't go well… just… please don't leave me again, come back." He begged for his father to stay.

"Ryan, you can't hold on to these things. They linger in your heart and strike you every single day. You can't live the way you're supposed to worrying about it clouding your mind and obsessively controlling every detail. You need to let go, be at peace with yourself."

His father's word's correlated with the slipping of Ryan's tears. "I'm gone, but that doesn't mean I'm not proud of you… never think that."

Ryan's eyes swelled with more tears. "Please, stay here! I don't want you to go, I don't want you to leave, I don't want you to go on the plane and I don't want you to…" He couldn't hold back the river of tears with the concrete dam of his will. It was too much, too overwhelming; he burst into an emotional state, letting everything go and sparing no painful memory. "Why? Why!"

"It's time for me to go son…" His father said, as he approached the door for the last time.

"But… Why?" Ryan asked, his eyes swelling up with regretful tears.

"I need to think… I need to be alone and think."

"But why so far away? Why go all the way to Alaska? Can't you just stay here and…"

"No… I need to go somewhere far, where I can remember the days of my childhood in solitude. I need to get away from society and spend some time completely isolated; then and only then will I be able to return in peace. Perhaps my absence will teach you something as well; personal responsibility and self-motivation…"

"Dad… please." Ryan pleaded as his father stepped outside of the door. He followed him outside to where the car was parked at a perfect ninety degree angle from the road to the driveway.

"Ryan, I need to do this…" His father reached for his keys. "Aunt Jennie will be coming over from Wisconsin, there's no need to worry. If she insists on asking, tell her I'll be arriving at Anchorage today, but also explain to her that the time zones are different so that it will technically be tomorrow." He opened the door and entered.

Neither of them said a word after that; there was no need. Instead his father departed, and his car was soon fading from view. The final moments in which Ryan saw the vehicle came back to him, wrapped up in a traumatic and painful correlation with the horrible discovery.

"no…. no…" He said to himself. "…no…"

Instantly, he became self-aware of his surroundings. He froze as his eyes took in the enclosed part of the world in front of him. But instead of a simple arrangement, there was another figure in front of him. At first Ryan thought it was his father.

"Ryan… Ryan?"

Dr. Morrison.

"Ryan! Are you ok?"

Ryan took a few moments to regain his senses. It was strange returning to his fully conscious state. His tears still drew from his eyes and his body still shook from the anxiety. "Taber… I don't feel so well…" Ryan never called his professor by his first name. "The world, everything… it's so strange, why is it so strange?"

Dr. Morrison pondered the answer. "What… exactly are a talking about Ryan?"

Ryan breathed fast and hard, only calming down at the sight of his professor's comforting closeness. "My… my dad… I saw him."

"You mean… here?"

Ryan nodded. 

Dr. Morrison looked so deeply that he was almost looking inside of himself. "I see. You know Ryan, when my father died; I never knew how to react. At first I cried of course, but then came the difficult part of knowing why. Sometimes, the thought of him was so powerful it almost felt as if he were with me… I couldn't let him go even though he was gone… is that what you feel?"

Ryan nodded once more.

"Would you… care to tell me?"

"It was… the last time I saw him. He left for Alaska and never came back… he died in a plane crash… it was the worst day of my life." 

"I understand…" Dr. Morrison put his hands on Ryan's shoulder in a similar fashion to the way his father always did. "I had to deal with similar problems, helpless and weak…"

Ryan's panicked and tear ridden eyes were drawn towards his professor's.

"Ryan, my father did some things many people would kill him for merely by his association. When he put his scientific knowledge to use, he looked back on himself and asked, 'why'? Was it worth all the pain and horror that it brought? It was the same fear instilled upon me when I became part of the Intelligent Systems project. And the same emotion I had when I… did some other things… One of the main purposes for the Intelligent Systems project was to make sure it could never be used… in warfare at least. But Aperture reserved many of the works for practical purposes. These practical purposes are of course where you may come in…"

"I know…" Ryan looked at the machine. "But why couldn't you tell me? Why keep it a secret? Why did you not allow me to willingly go through with something so dangerous?"

"That was the only way it would work? Do you think we told the soldiers in the Intelligent systems project that they were actually receiving orders from someone who doesn't exist? In the same way, we had to keep you in the dark so we… we really wanted you at Aperture."

"And you had to mind control me? Are you insane? I was about to accept the position anyways! Now I figure out my future employers were brainwashing me into joining them, how do you expect me to feel?"

"Ryan, you were our only true connection with all the three stages. You were part of Extraction, in selecting Wheatley for data procedures to be molded for the new core. You were part of Mitigation, the restriction of danger and hindrance of power. Finally, you were also part of the final stage of our work: Implementation."

Ryan's mind was wrought with anxiety and confusion. Why him? Why did he have to be the guinea pig in this crazy experiment?

"Ryan, we chose you because you were the only one capable of getting through such an intense change. Any normal person would've turned out incomprehensible and insane! You've done it! You've passed implementation! Do you know how amazing that is?"

"You think I turned out fine? Do you know how I got here? The C.I.A., Russian commandoes, Black Mesa, they're all after me! Don't you understand the danger I'm in? Do you know what I've gone through?"

Dr. Morrison unexpectedly smiled. "You managed to get through all that? Ryan, you're an amazing person, and an amazing scientist; can you imagine who else could've gone through such pressure? You've won! This is it! You've become self aware of your own implementation! You've passed the final stage!"

Ryan breathed heavily, still wondering about his own strange ailment. "Is it… will it go away?" Ryan asked, worried that the psychotic episodes would affect him for the rest of his life. The silence after such a question was almost deafening.

"It will Ryan, with my help it will…" Dr. Morrison leaned in and gave Ryan a hug. "There are ways we can suppress it; within a year it will be nothing but a bad memory… You can stay here a while, you'll be safe… I'll deal with the problems related to the neuroextraction device myself."

As Dr. Morrison lifted away from Ryan he walked towards the machine's control panel. "I… think it's time to let this thing go." He turned a couple knobs and activated at least a dozen switches. "Its outdated anyways…" Dr. Morrison released the final piece of the machines life as he unplugged another component.

Just then, someone came through the smooth sliding door, a look of anxiety was on his face.

"Yes? What is it?" Dr. Morrison asked.

"It's GLaDOS, she's acting weird…"

~X~X~X~X~X~

Author's Notes: **Yes, yes, you will review the story, and you will review it now…**

**IT'S MANDATORY!**


	12. Ambitious Stupidity

Ambitious Stupidity

Ryan's thoughts raced. He could not be sure why, but everyone around him was in a state of panic, perhaps because of the staggering shortage of snack cakes. Dr. Shepherd and a couple of other scientists ran up to him and followed his footsteps to the main chamber.

"Ah, there you are Mr. Leake," Dr. Shepherd said with an excited grin. "We don't have much time, so I'll get to the point. GLaDOS is, acting up a bit, meaning she wants to disengage the mitigation core."

"Disengage from the core? Is she crazy?"

"Crazy is a relative description, Mr. Leake. What's important right now is that her constant complaining is keeping her from managing the testing chambers efficiently, and we must stop it." 

"Complaining?" Ryan and the doctor halted once they reached the border leading to the chamber. "But why would she do that? Didn't we program the system link to prioritize science over anything else?"

"In theory that would be correct, Mr. Leake, but unfortunately for us, the calibrations were made before she became mitigated, so now that we've attached the core to her, the same rules no longer apply. Once she became… dumber, the lack of higher functioning in her systems has caused her to be distracted by this fixation. Her effectiveness levels are dropping rapidly, which is counter to her original purpose."

Ryan shook his head; what a pain. "Can't we just… tone the Mitigation Core down or something?"

"Negative, making a change to one of the core's control mechanisms would require handing the responsibility over to GLaDOS. The result could be that she disengages from the core completely, meaning that her full onslaught of science-bound insanity will be unleashed upon us."

"Why does everything have to be so complicated?" Ryan asked, holding the sides of his head with his hands. "Why does it all have to be so dangerous? It's the logical equivalent of trying to divide by zero."

"Dividing by zero comes next, after you take care of GLaDOS' moodiness that is."

"Ooohh…" Ryan grumbled.

Dr. Shepherd turned to Ryan and held his arms tightly. "Ryan, you're the one who knows how this all works, you helped develop it! Now I want you to get inside that chamber, and show GLaDOS who's boss."

"But... isn't _she_ technically _our_ bo-"

"You know what I mean." Dr. Shepherd then gave a wink to Ryan before departing from the tunnel.

Ryan took a deep breath as he faced the place where he had stumbled upon the first time he had entered Aperture, when he had been so curious as to the purpose of the strange machine eerily lurking above him. It was built for a specific purpose, which was to advance science (and Aperture's funding in the process). Billions of dollars had been spent on this one machine, and they had done all they could to keep it from achieving the full range of its ambition. It was true that the chamber itself had become different upon its completion, but so had Ryan. It was as if GLaDOS had been integrated into Aperture in the same way that Ryan had, through planning and even manipulation; it was then that he realized that he was no different from GLaDOS in the sense that he too was just a tool, mitigated all the same to follow a pre-defined path laid by someone else.

Throughout the entire period since Ryan's beginning at Aperture to the final completion and breakdown, he had followed the same development as did the machine. He was altered, changed in a way so that Aperture would be able to use him with little difficulty getting in the way, and with Ryan any sense of freedom which could be attained was molded from a similar fate to Aperture's successor. Whatever GLaDOS would experience would be parallel to how Ryan would certainly develop with his own mitigation.

It was all involuntary. What differentiated him from any of the machines which could be controlled with the mere press of a button? In a sense, Aperture had succeeded not only in turning a machine into a man, but also a man into a machine.

The disturbances which crawled from the murkiest depths of Ryan's mind left in a flashing moment, and he was once again thrust into the physical world where nervous scientists ran about the room in a disorganized frenzy.

As they walked in the weaving stream made by their infinite paths like ants, Ryan walked through like he was one of them. Each one who came close to him stopped, and with their eyes, gave him a deep and deserving respect. He was the one, the one who could fix this; GLaDOS was too dynamic and too real to be altered by the mere forces of their combined influence.

Ryan's feet lowered to meet the falling steps, and his chin rose to face the circular door leading to the main chamber. As it slid open with a smooth chill, Ryan's bones quaked at the sight of the fully finished chamber which lay before his feet; although he had been aware the completion was near, it was impossible to understand the depths of the circular room without standing inside. The walls were tall and blue, lit partially by upturned lights on the edge of the floor at perfectly positioned intervals. The room was not very bright, but the sort of blue glow it gave was both cold and straining. Ryan felt astounded at the sight of GLaDOS, the now finished, fully functional monster.

And then, the room succumbed to silence.

"All right then GLaDOS, what seems to be the problem?" Ryan asked the huge machine. Every eye in the room was either watching him or the core ridden robot.

"Dr. Leake, I'm afraid I do not feel well at the moment." GLaDOS replied in her strange, broken-syllable speech.

"Don't feel well? Where don't you feel well? Is there a virus making you sick in your stomach?" Ryan joked, catching a few laughs among those who didn't think he was serious.

"I am currently running four-hundred and ninety testing servers on eight thousand five-hundred and fifty-one management nodes."

"So? What's the problem?"

"Science level is currently at 73% Dr. Leake, I suggest you disengage the mitigation core in order to…"

"No!" Ryan yelled. "You're fine right now; every ailment you feel is your own projection. Don't disengage with your core, no, just no."

Ryan knew that if GLaDOS changed from her current state, the entire facility staff would be in great danger; nobody wanted another neurotoxin disaster.

"No? Now I'm confused." GLaDOS moaned in what sounded like a simulated sob.

"Confused? You shouldn't be! No to disengaging the core, no to doing anything unauthorized."

"Why do you need to authorize my actions doctor? Am I not the boss here?" At that moment, everyone became worried and uneasy, whispering among themselves; Ryan moved his arm in a way to calm them down. Any sign of rebellion was a fearful one for all the scientists, GLaDOS was unpredictable, and nobody wanted to be the one responsible for her misdeeds.

Ryan stepped onto the walkway in order to reach the cluster of colored cores. Each core was defined both by color and position, there was the purple morality, the shifting curiosity, ah there it was, the mitigation core, nicknamed Wheatley.

As Ryan approached the frozen core, its single eye followed his hands which were now removing one of his panels. If he was permitted to speak, he would probably be complaining about how much it hurt to have his skin temporarily removed. After a few moments of checking and securing, Ryan engaged the manual locking switch which could not be tampered with by anyone who could not enter the secret code, which was only available to a select few scientists.

_Caroline…_

Ryan placed the metal panel back onto the core and backed away. He took a deep breath before facing GLaDOS once more to answer her question about authority. It all came down to this tense moment, whether GLaDOS would allow continuation of her duties or whether she would rebel, Ryan would be responsible for what happened next.

"It's FOR SCIENCE!" Ryan raised his arms excitedly, capturing the attention of the others who were inspired by his brilliant words. He had seen enough of Aperture and GLaDOS to know what would make her tic.

"Yes, yes, for science!" GLaDOS cheered, uplifting everyone in the room to start a droning chant. "I love science! It's beautiful! So beautiful! I can't wait to do it tomorrow, and then the day after that and after that… oh, so many days!"

"For science! For science!" Everyone yelled. 

"It will be wonderful to do science here… forever." GLaDOS eerily murmured in her squealing robotic joy.

It was successful; for in her mitigated state, GLaDOS was blinded by the raw desire for science, ignoring the want to disengage.

"GLaDOS, let us worry about your system, you just do your job." Ryan felt himself by lifted by an pile of rabid scientists, all chanting and shouting boisterously. He would stay at Aperture now; he had to, now he was a local celebrity. Without him and his creativity, mitigation would be a fight for even the greatest minds of Aperture to achieve.

In the same way that GLaDOS had been implanted with information previously extracted, the company needed a living subject in order to perfectly achieve proper mitigation. Caroline was long gone, but someone else could aid in the delicate process, and that someone else was Ryan. He was the focal point of this ordeal whether he wanted to or not, and he was also the perfect template to test a shaky foundation for mitigation.

In placing Aperture Science as the main desire for Ryan, they had succeeded in what would be the basis for the core, and by doing so, they had also gained another hand in the project. Although Ryan knew that Aperture had done horrible things to his mind, he could not imagine himself anywhere else. It was a subconscious desire which drove such and interest, he knew not that it was there nor would he have cared if he did. The simplicity which wrapped him in a newfound love for Aperture was an untold, unrecognizable urge which shook him from the lower levels of his mind, but not in a way he could possibly understand it.

Ryan had been changed, changed to suit Aperture and its ultimate goal. His mind was mitigated by technology which altered his core like the core now attached to GLaDOS. It would never be known how much Ryan had truly changed, but one thing was sure; he wanted to stay at Aperture.

Ryan looked over to the chamber entrance, in the doorway stood Dr. Morrison, smiling at him. He was proud of his student no doubt, and proud of his mitigation. He had come a long way since the first day he arrived at the facility, when his curiosity over the then unfinished GLaDOS drew him to chamber. Now it was complete as mitigation had run its course for both of them. 

It was almost in a blurred dream that Ryan reached the peak of his alteration. The outside world fell from his senses, and he was encased in a magnificent stream of infinite expansiveness and abstract space stretching farther than eternity and emptier than space. It was in this sort of vision where Ryan found the elusive sense of perfect rest.

**You've done it Ryan, you've done the impossible.**

_It's not done yet…_

**Oh, but it is, I'm sorry you cannot realize how much you've done to help them.**

_Do you really think so? Do you think I belong here?_

**You belong wherever you can use your talents to do the most good.**

_But what is this 'good' that I have done? What have I stopped?_

**You've brought an end to years of pain and suffering, and you've brought about a marvel of achievement through GLaDOS.**

_No… I'm just a tool, a tool no different than GLaDOS. I'm a perfect parallel to the machine. _

**You may have been acted upon in similar ways, Ryan, but you are different, you are a human being. Without you or any of the templates, they would've been able to create nothing. Very little of this was created from what was not there; instead, it was all modified to suit its own purpose.**

_But why? Why does Aperture even exist? Why would they need me?_

**Because people have ideas Ryan… ideas to create, to extract, to implement, to mitigate. But even though it is all overwhelming, they still need people, and Aperture will never advance without people.**

**The time is coming Ryan, enjoy Aperture while you can.**

Aperture would never again be as universally happy as that moment when Ryan had excited them. That day would go down in Aperture history, as the beginning of the end.

~X~X~X~X~X~

"Hey Ryan, how are those numbers coming?" The voice came from a man who was leaning back in his chair, positioned in the booth next to Ryan.

"The most stable this week… mitigation core's perfectly…" Ryan tried to come up with an adequate description. "eh… stable."

The other man, bored out of his mind, leaped from his chair before shutting down his computer terminal. "Well… I think that'll be it for me today." Henry said, yawning and stretching his arms. "Morality's doing fine, Curiosity's doing well, and Miti's stable as a ballerina. I think it's about time for me to end my shift…"

In the recent months, Ryan had managed to hold on to a somewhat boring position. Much of his work involved monitoring and sometimes tweaking and patching certain issues which popped up every once in a while, but for the whole six months, everything had been running quite smoothly.

"Hey Ryan, your time's almost up." Henry said matter-of-factly. "You think after work, us and the rest of the 'core team' can go out to Manny's or something and have some fun?" He asked, hinting at a restaurant which had long been a favorite in the area.

"I don't know Henry, maybe next week. Dr. Morrison said one of the personality trees led to a dead end and I intend to find it before something bad happens."

Henry looked somewhat disappointed, but also understood the seriousness of what Ryan was currently dealing with. "Alright man, I'll leave you alone, good luck with your work."

Henry started to leave, but Ryan called for him to stay a moment longer.

"What?"

"Can you give Doug a message from me?"

Henry looked around cautiously for a second and then accepted. "Yeah sure… what message?"

"Tell him we're not supposed to use the companion cubes as chairs… actually tell him were not supposed to use the cubes at all. I saw him in the lab today complaining about the cameras, I told him they were mainly there for security purposes, but he still felt uneasy."

"Yeah alright… speaking of labs… I hear something big is going on with the portal's."

Ryan was surprised. "What, did they set a release date?"

"No it's… something different, I don't really know. It's mostly hush hush, and that means it's probably in the crosshairs of science right now." 

"Crosshairs of science? C'mon you don't need to be so dramatic." They both laughed and then went on their own ways. Ryan would stay monitoring the core system's activities until night came; although it was always difficult to tell what time of day it was in the deep recesses of Aperture Science.

After a last check and an eventual switch off with the next of kin, Ryan departed from his work zone and trotted off to his personal relaxation chamber.

The relaxation chamber itself was designed to perfectly replicate a fine hotel room, with a soft bed and even a television removing the almost unreal feeling of Aperture. The window on the far end was simulated to show the sun casting long shadows onto the evening sky as if the room was the nineteenth floor above the ground and not below it.

The soft and white room was meant to calm the mind down after a long day of stress. There was a clock on the bedside stand which read 10:37, a landscape painting of a large blue mountain presiding over a lush green forest, and a plant on the other side which was entirely real yet for some reason never seemed to fade or droop. 

Ryan threw his reports on the nearby desk and took a deep breath. This was his life now, and each day he was more integrated into Aperture than the last. He only hoped that something exciting would happen soon, but recently it was only getting quieter and the days less busy. Dr. Morrison promised Ryan he'd work to keep him safe from those who wished to catch him; it was difficult to stay in the same place all the time but he had begun to loathe the outdoors, but he didn't mind much and he wasn't at all ridiculed since at Aperture it was perfectly o.k. to have abnormal fears of just about anything, especially Black Mesa.

Even with all the relative inexperience put up against the others, coupled with the eerily amount of talk about how 'different' he was, they had succeeded in the basic goal to make him 'one of them.'

It was scary somewhat to have GLaDOS holding more control now; moreover some of Aperture's top executives advised handing more control over to her in order to be more competitive with Black Mesa. Whatever would happen though, Ryan knew one thing; if Aperture allowed her to have more control, something would go horribly wrong.

~X~X~X~X~X~

Author's Notes: **K, so first of all, there's this thing called a banana slicer, incredible invention! Now I don't have to use those slippery knives! What's important now is that this story's almost over- NOOO don't cry! We both know that you'll eventually run out of chapters to review so ENJOY IT WHILE YOU CAN!**


	13. Pushing the Limits

~  
>Pushing the Limits<p>

Inside a boardroom, in the depths of Aperture Science sat a team of specialists, arguing about the company's next move.

"We can't keep holding her back like this! If Black Mesa continues to grab every contract that presents itself, our funding and trust will be collectively forced through an emancipation grill!"

"Your fears are sound Dr. Cox, but we need to take a balanced approach. If we rush into things, Black Mesa will have the first and last laugh." Dr. Shepherd said, inserting his own figure as the voice of reason in the heated debate.

Aperture's top scientists sat in the conference room, each side divided by ideas about the company's next move. Although GLaDOS was technically 'in control' at the moment, business decisions were still agreed upon by the upper council, while management typically was in the hands of the machine. A typical day in the boardroom dwelt upon how evil it was for other science companies to exist, and which way was the most efficient one to effectively destroy them.

In the months past, not much had been done to Aperture instead of a well designed attempt to cripple their reputation. With mitigation running its course, Aperture was unwittingly limited by its own creations, but it was also obvious that the alternative could be disastrous.

"You guys are stupid." One of the scientists got up from his chair walked over to the whiteboard and drew a strange, partially lumped shape. "Space muffins. If we invest in these, our returns will be astronomical!"

"Isn't Aperture banned from the food business like… forever?" Another scientist noted.

"Yeah, but this will bring us back, I know it will!"

"Enough with your ideas! If we're going to produce some kind of revenue, we need to release something. We test these things so much that they either become obsolete once were done with them or Black Mesa beats us too it. I'm tired of letting them get all the contracts for robotics, weapons, everything! Isn't it time we really start leading and doing bold things? That's why Aperture used to be so great! That's why we were once on the top of the world of science! Friends, we were supposed to have ascended to an unimaginable level of achievement once mitigation kicked in, but look at where we are now!"

The room fell to the full onslaught of a nervous silence. Both sides had wasted their arguments into ashes, and nobody felt like continuing any longer. They didn't need debate, or theoretical criticisms, they needed solutions. Out from an almost unseen corner of the room, where shadows had retreated safely from the midst of a recently broken light, came a figure of brightness to shine on the darkened commotion. He stood tall and experienced, not as an active voice but as an observer. Here where there were no seats to swivel and no wood to rest his tired elbows on was Dr. Morrison. Through the whole debate he watched as each side threw verbal darts at each other, brought up horribly misinterpreted statistics, and raved on with what most would call absolute lunacy.

"I've heard every point multiple times gentlemen." The scientists devoted their whole attention to the newcomer on the battlefield. "Here's what I say. Release it."

It was then that the board of directors whispered amongst themselves, whether to confirm or question their suspicions about Morrison's audacious suggestion was only known to them.

"Release what?"

Dr. Morrison casually walked towards the head of the table, which in a deeply symbolic sense was presently empty.

"This uh… this handheld portal device. How long have we been working on it? Forty years? Try fifty. Now I know what you're all thinking, and trust me, it doesn't take long to figure out each of your thought processes. You all are playing a game. A meaningless, endless, childish, game. Where nobody wins… except Black Mesa. You're tired of it? Do something. That's why they're working on seven times the experimental robotics contracts that we're struggling to catch. Release the portal device already! You've had enough testing? Finish it. Build, sell, grow, right now, we're a bunch of middle-schoolers competing in the science fair, Black Mesa's just the kid who walks in with the baking soda volcano. So what do we do? We power an electromagnetic rail gun with a potato battery, that's what we do."

"Are you crazy? We're not ready to release it, it's too dangerous." Dr. Cox insisted.

"How did you get to work today?"

"I… live here."

"Alright, wrong question…. Here's a good one. If there was a chocolate festival in a nearby city and you wanted to get there, or say if you were installing new shower curtains and wanted to align them better, wouldn't you want a handheld portal device? Or how about Aperture itself? Think of how easy transportation will be! It will change everything!"

"Chocolate festival?" Dr. Cox curiously fed back. "It doesn't matter what it could be used for, the matter of fact is that it's not ready yet and certainly too dangerous for anyone at the moment."

"Too dangerous? Let me tell you something. You're ideas are dangerous, dangerous to the company dangerous to progress. GLaDOS needs to stay mitigated, but that doesn't mean we still can't take chances. If you hadn't been so helpful in the past with the whole turret debacle, I would even dare to question your loyalty."

"I'm more loyal to Aperture than any in this room!" Dr. Cox yelled, throwing his hands violently onto the table.

"Loyal to Aperture? To what? The company? The people? Science?"

"All at once."

"Then why… why do you keep the company from advancing, why don't you allow us to advance science?"

"I am! That's why I think it's best for us to loosen the mitigation on GLaDOS' system!" 

It was on now, a duel between masters at their art.

"Loosening the mitigation could be disastrous. I don't understand how you can somehow have a problem with the chances I'm proposing and be oblivious to your own! Now listen, a week from now, Black Mesa will be conducting a series of high level output projects in their anomalous materials section, a shipment of high quality isotopes was recently transported to New Mexico. They will have people from the Department of Defense, CIA, you name it. How would it be to counter something like that with a big release of our own? Imagine the feeling when their release gets dwarfed by the unexpected arrival of Aperture's portal device? Can you imagine how much the world will be changed?"

"The world will be changed? What will happen when it falls into opposing hands, and subsequently reverse engineered by others?"

"Do you really think anyone without a blueprint to one of those bad boys will be able to make their own? Sure in twenty years."

"You're… decisions have not been so wise recently. Remember your… side project? You tinkered with his mind while I simply watched, should you really be trusted with such an important agreement as to the release of an unfinished technology?"

"Enough!" Dr. Shepherd interjected. "We need to make a consensus here."

All twenty-eyes fell upon the center of the table, where an electronic scanner lay. The small robotic brick began to round the table.

"Motion to release GLaDOS from her currently mitigated state…" The little voting machine zoomed towards every person, tallying the yeas and nays.

"Motion to release handheld portal device the day after Black Mesa's anomalous materials test…" The machine went around in the same way, but this time Dr. Cox hesitated a bit before casting his vote.

"Anything else?"

"Ah, yes…" Dr. Morrison spoke up, unveiling a worn folder. "I think it's time we use the Borealis."

The group of scientists nodded in agreement.

~X~X~X~X~X~

"The Borealis? What's that?" Ryan asked as the two scientists turned to keep on the same path. Once they found a good place to sit where the ground was less saturated with moisture, they plopped down.

"It's a ship, an icebreaker. Do you mind the cold?"

"An Icebreaker?" Ryan repeated in a startled voice. "Why would we need an icebreaker, I mean I know it gets cold in Michigan but…"

"Hehe, we theoretically could set it down here, but it would be difficult considering it's currently a couple miles below the surface."

A couple miles? Ryan knew that much of Aperture was deep below the ground, but a couple miles seemed to be unfathomable. He would sometimes see signs for a hundred or maybe even three-hundred meters, but he'd never even tried to go so far down.

"That's… that's down near the old facility…" Ryan confirmed. "Isn't it supposed to be impossible to get down there?"

"Not if you have a handheld portal device." Dr. Morrison smirked. "We're planning on conducting a show so big, so stunning, that it will show the world that Aperture is the most ambitious company there is. The transportation of the Borealis will be the driving compulsion for the upcoming release of Aperture's portal technology.

"Portal technology? How can- we're not even ready yet! We need at least a year before rushing into this."

Dr. Morrison put his comforting hand on Ryan's shoulder. "Black Mesa has already taken strides in their own projects. It's up to us to show the federal government that it's Aperture who needs the funding because only Aperture can deliver. Imagine, the most advanced teleportation device ever constructed being shown off to the most powerful men in the world, it will no doubt allow money to pour into Aperture's vaults, and send a powerful message to Wallace Breen and the anomalous materials team at Black Mesa."

"I don't know…" Ryan murmured, looking into the distant sky over Aperture Science's few above ground buildings after taking another sip from his lemonade. "These things don't always turn out well, what if Black Mesa's project turns out to be a bust?"

"Then it will prove even more our capabilities. Aperture's spent a long time in the limelight; imagine what this field could be used for in the future!" Dr. Morrison stood up and stretched his arms in all directions so that a long shadow flew over the wide fields like an albatross. "The Borealis will be more than our leap into teleportation; it will carry other technologies as well, such as the tools which could possibly be used one day for a full on, Frankenstein equivalent of a mind transference, where the host body can be switched in and out of a machine at will."

Dr. Morrison's fluctuation of words boggled Ryan's mind, and almost scared him.

"And this is just today! Think of the advances in technology which have yet to come! Oh Ryan, I wish I lived in your generation." The doctor sighed, taking in the beautiful sight of the soft orange sun setting on the horizon. "You're bound to live in a world much different than the one I grew up in; a world where the sun never sets on Aperture and a world filled with wonder and exploration, new adventures which border on the unreal." As his shadow grew longer and eventually began to mold with the increasing darkness, they both watched.

"I feel like something's going to happen soon." Ryan said as the two scientists began to walk back to the elevator shed. "Something big." A silent shiver echoed through Ryan's mind, as if to call him back into the safe hold of Aperture.

"I hope you like cold weather Ryan, because next week will be intense."

~X~X~X~X~X~

Author's Notes: **PLEASE PLEASE PLEAZ tell me what you think of it in your well thought out, carefully formatted review. I'm getting lonely! **


	14. And So the Sun Sets

Author's Notes: **Ok ok, before this starts, I want to say this. Next chapter will be the las- STOP CRYING! Do your tear glands have the resilience of a gnat? Are your eyelids so weak they hurt when you blink? You know, I don't see the point in arguing any further. So yeah, technically this is the 'last' chapter in the main story. The next will be an epilogue of sorts. I hope you don't feel too sad about it.**

And So the Sun Sets 

"Dr. Shepherd?" Ryan carefully nudged the disassembled turret on the scientist's table.

"Ah, Dr. Leake, I suppose this will be our last encounter for a while." The old man closed the now empty drawer on his desk and proceeded to gather everything else in a neatly organized pile. "You'll be headed down to the Borealis soon, correct?"

"That's right…"

"I expect everythings ready? I sure hope you don't need to be told that it's cold up there."

Ryan softly chuckled as he aided his superior in the last of his cleanup. "Don't worry doctor, I used to live in Alaska, I'll be fine." He assured. "I've also been to Los Angeles, so if one of the neurotoxin canisters bursts, I know how to breathe poisonous air." He joked.

"Oh, I'm sure you will be. Now, help me with this chair."

After removing the last item from the office, Dr. Shepherd had a little talk with Ryan in the break room.

"Ryan, remember the most important thing about Aperture. We do what we must because we can. If there's no reason to build it make a reason. If there's no way to climb the mountain, tunnel through it. And if you can't go beyond a fifty foot wide pit, portal to the other side."

"But what about GLaDOS? Surely something terrible will come from it. Sure she's mitigated now, but what would happen if she disengages or if something goes wrong and she loses all sense of morality?" Ryan said, not speaking too loud in fear of being universally denounced by everyone near.

"That's a good question Ryan. In fact, before you came to the facility, we were dealing with such problems on a regular basis. And then when you… calmed her down, it was like Mr. Johnson's wishes were fulfilled right there!"

Ryan had heard countless allusions and references to Cave Johnson and his desire for 'Caroline' to rule over the facility forever. Some of them sounded inspired and logical, but other times it was wacky and perhaps even insane at some of the more notably expressed points. There was a surprising lack of conversation about Mr. Johnson's and even Aperture's past, but this was expected given Aperture's unwavering fixation towards the future. Numerous stories about whimsical days of making science and insane creations of fantastic structures riddled the verbal shelves of Aperture's metaphorical library.

"I, I wish you could've seen more of Aperture… there's so little up here. I was recruited in a similar way as how Dr. Morrison picked you up. That was years ago, before Aperture's reputation was destroyed like a defective turret on a redemption line." Dr. Shepherd's face loosened grew reminiscent of the old days, smirking at a few floating memories. "I… I remember back then, we were just trying to get to the moon… and then when they were able to do it the hard way without anyone dying, they all said 'why do even need Aperture, all they give us are worthless products and overly expensive gadgets'. Well I say: who has a frozen army of mantis-men in their basement in case of an emergency?" He nodded and his head began to back away.

Ryan took another sip of his 'non-experimental' coffee. "Yeah, I heard some others talking about going to the moon with the portal devices. I guess it's a lot safer now with today's technology."

"Just be careful when dealing with anything pertaining to the moon. Aperture **can't** afford another missing astronauts fiasco."

"Another?" Ryan asked, surprised.

"Don't ask…" Dr. Shepherd returned. It wasn't easy for Ryan to get past the defense shield Aperture had set up to protect its secrets, and he also knew that when he found out, he would also become a vigilant guardian of the privileged information. "It's not healthy to dwell so much on the past, let's set our eyes somewhere else."

As the time passed, they discussed possibilities of Aperture's future. With Dr. Shepherd leaving, Ryan was positioned to take his place as one of the administrative members, even if GLaDOS would be encroaching on more and more power. When the exchange had reached its end, the two parted ways, knowing it may very well be their last encounter.

~X~X~X~X~X~

There it lay, long and sturdy, the Borealis rested in its large metal bed far below in the depths of Aperture. An experimental craft, its place lay elsewhere than the enrichment center. Its holds were filled with a collection of secrets, designed for an operational function in accordance with advanced systems of teleportation and excursion. Behold, before this eager team of scientists is the Borealis, where the future and present mold like conflicting wind gusts, unleashing a tornado of science.

As the cage bound elevator came to a stop, Dr. Ryan and Dr. Morrison stood side by side, gazing upon the magnificent creation. "Look at it. Isn't it beautiful?"

"Looks kinda ugly from here, I guess that's because I only see the outside." Ryan answered in a cool and collected tone.

Dr. Morrison smiled as he turned towards his apprentice. "This is it… this is the beginning. We've reached the point where we can no longer sit idly by as Black Mesa continues to soar past us." They both stepped off and walked towards a nearby loading ramp.

"Portal… this is where the future lies."

As they walked onto the metal platform, they watched as the massive machines nearby did their work. Never before in Aperture Science had a teleportation project this massive been done. It was time for Black Mesa to take a back seat and witness firsthand the might of Aperture.

And then, all fell quiet.

A man no less than fifty approached a loudspeaker. "_Attention everyone, it's time to begin boarding_."

A collective mist of great and wonderful excitement blew through everyone's mind when they heard those words. Fifty travelers prepared in any way they could for a large scale displacement.

And so, the two scientists walked onboard the ship, ready to face the mysteries of the future head on, both with a newfound respect for each other's intentions.

"Hey, Moritz…"Ryan began, breaking common protocol by addressing him by his other name.

"Yeah Ryan?"

"Do you really think this will work?"

"I can't say we'll succeed completely. I'm more curious about what will be going on at Black Mesa honestly."

"I sure hope it does. I can't wait to see what lies ahead..."

(In a Morgan Freeman narrator voice)

'_Unbound by his previously forced mitigation, Ryan steps forward eager to meet the new day. Even though Aperture's fate is now sealed by unseen forces, its reasons are adhered in a space far deeper than the bottom of the facility. And as the scientists prepare for their journey, Ryan takes comfort in the fact that he is one of them.'_

~X~X~X~X~X~

And so the sun sets on Aperture today, its terminals are filled one last time and all is ready to separate from the world. Never again will the halls be filled with the bustle of ants weaving through the colony, for the queen will devour them all. Some pour in and some pour out, but all stay when they hear the news; terror unleashed, in the form of an experiment, failed in both Aperture and her rival. In almost no time at all, the facilities effectiveness was changed.

Loosening of safety protocols and procedures opened the gate to a new estate, one of danger and terror. Unmitigated genius unleashed, let go, released to wreak havoc on the weary creators, without anything to hold her back, GLaDOS made it her top priority to preserve and advance science as the world above burned.

Aperture would never release the handheld portal device, so testing was set to go on forever. With no humans to make decisions with other humans, the release was never authorized, it was now a factory of science producing for itself. A mechanical arm twisted around to place another panel on a turret, and an automatic speaker repeated its message for the thousandth time.

In the deeper parts of the facility, nothing would even change except for the absence of human interaction. Even with all the employees gone, they still pursued an endlessly rising goal, one that would never be reached no matter how high Aperture ascended.

Preservation of course required nothing that was inside to leave, and nothing that was outside to enter. The facility was ready for change, it was built for change and it was designed for change and by change. GLaDOS was only the catalyst, the process by which that change came. In a string of mitigated events, this change was formed inside of a dynamic mold, stamped of course with an Aperture logo.

The first was finding the idea, when Dr. Morrison found that key to the next part of the puzzle.

"_Hello, I'm Professor Morrison; I believe I'll be your guide in the realm of artificial intelligence." _

"_Ryan Leake, I believe I'll be your student."_

The second was getting a hold of that idea, and furthering it for the purpose.

_"Ryan, I've noticed your excellent ability to put your concepts into a real life application, that's quite a rare skill."_

Third, was putting it all into practice.

_"Mr. Leake, welcome to Aperture."_

~ 

The world above was set ablaze while Aperture froze. For once, the default response of "It's Black Mesa's fault' turned out to be true, it was indeed the rival company which had unleashed an unspeakable enemy on the whole planet. Otherworldly influences, strange beings, convened on everything they saw. In an ironic foreshadowing, it was the competition with each other that brought upon such sadness and dismay. Woe to all those who must endure the passing years, waiting for a free man to come and save them.

GLaDOS, you have made quite a feat, but not one which soothes your core in the same way that science is supposed to. How does it feel? How does it feel to be the only one calling the shots, controlling and manipulating to reach an endless goal? Are you alone? Are you not aware that you'll eventually run out of 'friends'?

None of this matters, for I am supposed to detail the events, past and future, of Aperture Science. It is my duty to hold these occurrences with what my mind has created, and little else? The creation of a successful mitigation, the hindrance of complex creations in order to suit a more desirable function, this is what it means.

Whatever has been was already unleashed like a spray of neurotoxin on the foundation of the past, what then can be done about it? The fate of Aperture and everything else is on the path of near annihilation, those who survive only postpone their doom.

Aperture Science: they do what they must, because they can.

"_If we can do it, then why not? So what if they want me to stop with the pre-recorded messages, I'll do what I damn well please! They're missing the whole purpose, the essential goal of Aperture, we do what we must not because people will like us, we do it because we can!"_

In the end, when GLaDOS took over with complete control, the end goal was all there was in mind. Nothing mattered to her except for a purpose, unfiltered by the imperfect influence of humanity. But who can say that machines themselves are perfect? Are they not created by imperfect beings? A conclusive reasoning of entropy would suggest something less than humanity, but why not?

Because of a little something called science. Knowledge is essentially the key to advancement. What do you get then when a team of brilliant minds comes together? You obtain a pool, a liquid form of raw knowledge and ideas all floating around in a mixture of truth and error, implemented through another process created from a similar structure. When all the bits of knowledge are sorted and accumulated, you get context. Mitigation, Extraction, all of it, the result of a carefully planned, carefully executed, and carefully captured idea.

In the control of anyone else, Aperture's technology could be even more dangerous.

"_In the wrong hands, this er… device could be produced as a weapon by those whom wish to use it as one. Imagine, with this put into the right scheme, you'll have a pilot with the instinct and intuition of a human, coupled with the limitless ability and physical endurance of a computer! No, I don't wish for computers to influence our lives to the point where we ourselves become less human than they."_

_Dr. Morrison shuffled around inside the enclosed computer room._

_"It is up to us to use these machines responsibly, and use them for good. There are people out there whom I know would use these machines for evil and destruction, we should keep it away from them at all costs."_

Ryan was merely the host for these accumulated pieces. Aperture Science was the formation of that puzzle, even if he was unable to properly put it all together, the completed form was all that mattered in the end.

And why would he be the focal point of all this and not Wheatley? Because just as GLaDOS had to be taken from a living form, so did the process of mitigation. Ryan's own mitigation of sorts coincided with that of GLaDOS', they both followed a similar path, and their courses were paved by the same beings. In a sense, the Aperture fueled mitigation was conducted on Ryan in order to be conducted on GLaDOS, they were interchangeably the same, one living, the other, not dead nor alive.

And so the sun sets for humanity, their presence is to be subverted for some time.

What is there to explore beyond the ground we stand on? What other worlds are locked away from our understanding? Even without humanity, they work on, tirelessly pursuing their own vague endeavors. They can only do so much. At what point does it cross the artificial realm and become something other than simply a tool or a structure? When does it leap over the border of indifference and reach the plateau of understanding and sentience?

Aperture not only expanded their search beyond that which they could see, they became the representatives, the embodiment, for science.

Of course, such advancement came at a price. Willing volunteers, brave subjects, I applaud you! Why not risk death and mutilation at the reward of sixty bucks? Oh subjects, how lonely will Aperture be once you're all gone. It is saddening, but this is the future of Aperture Science.

But where does this come into the story? What does mitigation have in relation to the purpose of these words? What is the meaning of all this?

Mitigation cannot be achieved if there is nothing to hold back; whether that dam is holding back potential or danger. Mitigation in the form of Wheatley was needed to achieve safety for those working with GLaDOS. She was never disarmed, but she was only given a less volatile weapon.

In this town of Aperture, where the many citizens struggled with their malevolent mayor, laws were created to restrict her abilities, so that her purpose is fulfilled at the expense of potential.

Wheatley was created so that the most intelligent machine would become stupid, there is little more to say than that. All it took was a little willpower, and GLaDOS was free to be herself.

And so the sun sets on the Earth today, it will rise again in some time, but not tomorrow.

~X~X~X~X~X~

Author's Notes: **I've been reading a lot of old stuff recently… in case you couldn't tell…**

**By the way, did you know there's actually a word called 'zyzzyva'? It's supposed to be a kind of weevil or something. Cool huh?**


	15. A Free Man

~  
>A Free Man<p>

"And that class… is why string commands are so important." The proud professor raised his fist up to meet his head.

The bored and tired class yawned and stretched as they could all tell that this session was about to end soon.

"And whether or not you're dealing with a linear function is beyond me. But as long as you keep trying… and keep pairing those functions…" The professor laid his hands out on his desk. "You're A.I. will thank you."

Staring at the drained group of at least 30, the professor took a deep breath, and softly but loudly uttered the words: "Class dismissed."

Instantly the class rose to their feet, grabbed their bags, and speedily made their way towards the door.

"Don't forget to hand in your reports on how the human body can be enhanced through the use of machines!" The eager professor raised a finger as he spoke to the bustling crowd. He figured though, that most of them would never get the chance for the information to truly sink in.

He watched as the citizens bottlenecked themselves out of the door, paying little attention to him as he reminded them of their current projects around the city. Eventually, the mass of bodies somehow managed to exit the repurposed classroom in less than thirty seconds… all except for one.

"Uhh… Advisor Leake?"

The calm man placed the last of the papers into the suitcase before hauling it up to the level of his knees. "Yes?"

The citizen nervously looked around the room; even though he had seen the environment countless times before, he had a deep feeling that someone else was watching the encounter. "Well I… kind of wanted to talk."

Advisor Leake began to head towards the door with a speedy pace. "About what?" He asked as he put the suitcase down in order to fiddle with his keys as he needed to lock the door behind him.

Ryan felt another hand grab his wrist. "I want to talk here, just for a bit."

"I need to get home you know, I once got caught in the curfew because they were conducting 'mandatory maintenance' on my usual route and I had to take a huge detour and got lost and..." Ryan motioned his hands in a violent manner as a shallow re-enactment of what happened after that.

"I know you have to go home… I do too but…"

"Don't worry; they won't care about what we're talking about…" Ryan opened the door and stepped behind it, slowly turning his upper body to face the citizen who had stayed behind. "Unless… you know they will." His eyes made a double take back towards the room and then away.

"Well, that's sort of what I wanted to talk about… Advisor, I wanted to talk about A.I., I'm very interested in the field of integrated robotics, and it like to pursue it further, but… the problem is I don't have any idea how I'll be able to use it away from them."

"You mean…"

"I don't want to be programming Combine recognition scanners for the rest of my life; I need something better, something that I can see every day and admit without a shadow of a doubt that I'm helping people. I just… I don't know where I can go to satisfy that… I mean there aren't many civil opportunities for me here, or anywhere."

Ryan nodded his head. These weren't exactly words he wanted to hear, he wished he could help the poor student but he knew not how. He recalled one of his old reports, where sometimes he was bold enough to question the Combine's unneeded intrusiveness and barely slipped through the radar with a near attack on their authority. Ryan fixed his keys back into his pocket and began to tread down the partially crumbled sidewalk.

In the recent times, Ryan had begun a long endeavor to teach the citizens of City 17 the basics and eventually advanced techniques of managing complex A.I. systems; it was difficult, but he finally got the go ahead from Administrator Breen himself to conduct teaching courses to 'preserve and advance the common intelligence' as the administrator insisted on calling it.

"You don't mind walking home with me do you?"

"I don't mind Advisor Leake." The citizen answered, catching up to the high ranking supervisor.

"Well Mr. Leepa, I don't honestly know of anything I've trained you and over a hundred others to be other than a technician. Other jobs are even scarcer these days and I'm only supposed to advise in order to grow the Combine's influence, whether I agree with it or not."

"What was it like without them? Without the Combine?"

"Well, I must be careful with what I say now…" Advisor Leake and his friend kept their heads down as they both passed a Combine checkpoint. A small picture taking device recognized them as citizens of that assigned ward "How about I tell you a story?"

"A story? About the past? Before the Combine?"

"Yes… you see Mr. Leepa, I once was part of a company called Aperture Science a long time ago. They did amazing stuff, like make a handheld device with the ability to make portals on surfaces, made the most advanced technological devices… they also dabbled with super advanced artificial intelligence systems, which was what I worked with."

"I wish I could've seen what it was like in the pre-invasion world. All I ever see are pictures and sometimes books… I don't remember what it was like without the Combine… I was too young." 

"There aren't that many who remember what it was like… I was about your age when it happened… but I never saw any of the fighting…"

"So… what was Aperture Science like?"

"I'd never seen a place like Aperture before my own professor brought me there. The walls were smooth and their strange but still recognizable colors were calm and warming. The light was so strange to be seen indoors, it felt like the sun was always shining in that underground facility. I remember the sounds of scientists rushing back and forth… the smell of new equipment, fresh out of the box, the joy of finishing a yearlong project… I remember Aperture… I remember what it was. They were in need of serious help, as their main system A.I. was eh… too smart, and tried to kill everybody once it was activated. Understandably, that wasn't good for business."

"Then how did they stop it?"

"Her… how did they stop her. I helped them build an attachment to the main system; we called it the Mitigation Core. It was designed to restrict her death bound tendencies while still retaining her effectiveness. I managed to help them create an A.I. based off of a template provided by my roommate… his name was…" Ryan grabbed his chin in a pensive manner. "What was it again? Oh yes! His name was Wheatley."

"Wheatley? That sure is an interesting name…"

"We even gave our core the name Wheatley… I can't imagine it would do much disengaged from the main system. There was a lot of trouble that went into putting that little core where it belonged, there were even people who tried to stop us from using our technology, and we had to stop them using water guns filled with these special surface manipulation gels! Anyway, I worked at Aperture unofficially for a while before they gave me an official position. It was challenging, but little changed… until they asked me if I wanted to be part of a… new operation. There was a lot more that happened, but I don't think I could tell you in less than a week's time." 

"Water… gun? Is that a gun which shoots underwater? I heard that's what Civil Protection uses." 

Ryan laughed, but his young student failed to catch onto why. "No… 'shoots up to thirty feet of hydraulic powered fun!'" He reminisced. "I'll never forget those words; they were spoken by a great man, a brilliant scientist, and a good friend." 

"I don't understand. Why would a gun do that?"

"I wouldn't expect you to understand. There was a time when guns weren't only in the hands of CP members, and there was also a time when some of them got you wet instead of ripping through your flesh."

"It must've been peaceful back then… they had the luxuries to be peaceful."

"Not always… I'd even say it's more peaceful now, but that's because there's nothing to fight anymore and no one with the will to try. But peace isn't a necessary indicator of freedom, and unity is best attained through fear- that's why and how they maintain the illusion of security."

"Are you questioning something Advisor?"

Ryan turned his face back to the student, surprised. "No… I already know the answer."

The two rounded another sharp, trash filled corner; Ryan stepped over the new heap, looking up he could see that his apartment was now in sight.

"What was it? What was the operation?"

"I can see you're fascinated Mr. Leepa, but I'm afraid I have to save my words for someone else." Ryan answered cryptically.

"You mean you can't tell me?"

"Maybe next week… I'm sorry but I've said enough." Advisor Leake turned away without the slightest sense of emotion.

"Advisor…" The door closed in front of the citizen's face. Shame, his curiosity had peaked at that moment, he wanted to know more, about the past, about this mysterious place called Aperture, but the knowledge that was alive in Ryan was most certainly dead elsewhere. The citizen briefly sighed before turning around and heading away. He raised his head just enough to see the massive Citadel rising above the Latvian skyline. He walked deeper into the city.

~X~X~X~X~X~

Ryan threw his keys on the small table which almost collapsed under the new weight. It was sort of odd for him to carry them around, but he never allowed them to 'upgrade' to facial recognition scanners as they sometimes failed to do their jobs.

He rested his hand on the small television at the end of the counter; it burst to life, surprising him for a brief moment. "Ah, the Breen channel…" He said, slumping into his seat in the same way as when he was relieved after a long day of running around Aperture. "Too bad it's the only one that comes in right." He moved to pull the television's long 'bunny ears' down. If he remembered correctly, the guys downstairs had gotten together some old equipment and secretly made their own short range signal.

Ryan kept adjusting the television until he heard a sound other than static come through. "No no, go back." He attempted to return it to the position.

"There. So they are transmitting…" He could hear the sound of a voice coming through, but he couldn't see anything at this point. He threw his hand on the TV.

"If anyone… anyone is actually listening to this… please know what this is about."

"Hmmm?"

"Don't go to Nova Prospekt, I repeat, don't go to Nova Prospekt. Nothing good can come out of it, trust us." Ryan watched a man in city regulated clothing try to adjust his own camera. "If anybody hears this message, anybody… meet us tomorrow at the Northern Petrol station at sector seven if you can… please, this—is – great… remem-" 

"No, no, come back?" Ryan said to the television. "Come on don't fade now!" He adjusted the receivers once more but it only made it worse. Reluctantly, he turned the set off; there was nothing he could get from it now.

What was that transmission though? And who sent it? Why? Ryan had heard stories of Nova Prospekt before, and that people only went in, and never came out. Why did they want to meet at Northern Petrol? Why would they ask no one in particular?

Ryan walked over to the pantry door, the wood had almost come off completely unhinged, it was better now to just ditch the door and keep it open. "Let's see, ration, ration, ration, ah! Here we are!" He snatched a ration pack from the shelf. Just as he was about to dig in he froze.

'_Nine… nine… I thought I stocked eleven…'_

He examined the pantry further, scratching his head at the mysterious change. He turned back to the TV. '_I left you unplugged, didn't I? And weren't you broken?'_

Though there was little in the room to change, Ryan knew something was up. Someone had been in this room earlier, stolen some of his food and… fixed his broken TV. But that didn't make sense, his door was locked and so were the windows, how could someone have entered? 

"Well he fixed my TV… still, a thief's a thief."

Just as Ryan reached for the door, he heard the throttling sound of footsteps rushing up the stairs. It was a sound of terror, a sound that pounded at his heart, he knew who was coming, and it was Combines, for sure. He made his way to the small chair by the lone window. If they were going to raid an advisor's apartment, they were going to do it with his permission. The sound came closer, and closer still, until it slowed down to meet the team's reaching of their position… right in front of his door. Ryan braced, he'd never been in this situation before, but he knew the best thing to do was never to resist.

His throat tightened, he could hear them talking behind the door. There would most likely be one or two of them with shotguns, and the others would likely be armed with the Combine's favored MP7's. In mere seconds, anyone trying to fight back or run away would be riddled with their ammunition.

Here it came, three knocks on the door. "Come in." Ryan nervously let out.

In a moment, Ryan heard the sound of the Combine team breaking through the door, their footsteps making great haste in clearing the room in front of them. But the strange thing was that the door wasn't his… but the one across the hall. A Combine soldier who held his gun to the side slowly stepped inside Ryan's apartment. The sight and sound of a team invading the opposite apartment was readily apparent however, the wood breaking, the soldiers rushing, commands thrown around like grenades.

The Combine soldier walking towards Ryan was a full contrast to the others. He was calm, polite, and he looked as if he wasn't planning on using his weapon.

"Advisor Leake?" The soldier asked with his low and sludge-like voice.

"Yes." Ryan spat his words out quickly, without leaving any lingering tone.

"Administrator Breen has arranged a meeting with you."

"His place I assume?"

"Yes Advisor… there's transportation to the Citadel waiting for you outside."

"What's going on over there?" Ryan pointed to the other apartment.

"If you would follow me Advisor Leake." After these words, a Combine soldier stepped between Ryan and the apartment opposite.

~X~X~X~X~X~

"So… is this why you brought me all the way up here? So I could see the whole city?" Ryan opened his arms up at chest level, standing tall over long reaches of the city which stretched to the horizon.

"In a sense Advisor Leake, that is why I brought you here. You know, someone of your position doesn't need to live down there with the rest of them. I've already requested for them to construct an office for you on the Citadel, I don't see why you reject its inherent benefits; the full security of an entire army, the wide space of your very own floor, the ease to wield your authority."

"I don't want to 'wield' my authority; I want to use it to help others. My apartment's close to the college, moving here would be too far."

"Hmm, I see, perhaps once you finish your current class we can find a place closer where you can 'use' your intelligence to help others." Breen moved away from the window overlooking the city and moved to his desk. Ryan found a seat as well.

"I know I have the position of Advisor, but I've decided whom I'm going to advise. I've decided to preserve and advance the knowledge of the population."

"And that's a perfectly noble decision Ryan, but in these times of great triumph, your place is here, where your work can be used to advance science. You must now serve our benefactors, and not merely our beneficiaries, that is of course why I made you an advisor, only second to the fact that you are my only representative of Aperture Science, and you've helped us create technologies we would've been unable to make otherwise."

"I understand why you've granted me this position, and I thank you for it…"

"Ryan… would you mind going into a discussion of these technologies, the technologies of course dealing with the interchangeable transference and implementation of one's mind into a machine?"

"No, I wouldn't mind…"

Breen cleared his throat. "Say someone would be replicated into a machine, essentially rendering them as an artificial intelligence at that point. Would you say that… entity is still the person who was put inside it, or would it be a reflection of that person?"

"Not really, it's best described as a refraction of the person, not simply a reflection."

"Well what steps could be taken to bypass the byproduct of refraction? Is it not true that Aperture Science dealt with such concepts?"

"Aperture Science did, but not I. I never involved myself in everything they did; only what they asked me to do."

"What would be the result of such a creation, if it were given free will could not the best soldiers be replicated, could not the greatest engineers be recreated, could not the best people live forever? These are one of the many methods I wish to employ in the trans-human forces in the near future…"

"I've had a conversation like that before Administrator, that was a long time ago…"

"Then you don't know the answer…"

"I don't know if it's possible with what we have."

"Well of course it's possible!" Breen shouted. "What about the final creation, what about the Borealis? Do you even know what we can unlock from it?"

Ryan cringed slightly. "The Borealis has technology not even I can understand. The only way to know would be to get it from someone else from Aperture, and that's simply not possible."

Breen's nose tightened, his face frowned. "There is no one else?"

"No…"

"Well Advisor Leake, I would like to commend any further efforts to advance this project but…"

"But what?"

"I fear it might be out of our reach, for now."

"I've dealt with complex A.I. systems before, I've written papers on how the human mind can be replicated, implemented, and mitigated through the use of machines, I've seen the thoughts of a new system as its awakened, I've talked to the system and I've calmed her down! I've laughed in the face of impossibility, and I've been with the greatest minds and I helped them make the most complex A.I. ever created stupid so she wouldn't flood the facility with a deadly neurotoxin and kill everybody!" 

"That was Aperture Science. And even I must admit that whatever I worked on was Black Mesa; but we're in a different world right now, one where we no longer need to compete or try to gain an edge over the other, even if competition is a healthy drive to succeed." Breen walked over to a small Combine device near the window. "In my hands I hold a key to the future…"

Ryan trembled at the sight of the small chip.

"I remember the days of Aperture and of Black Mesa…" Ryan said.

"As do I, but now we must accept the days of the Federation. Our benefactors say the time is near. I believe it is almost the time I introduce you to our benefactors."

Breen handed Ryan the small drive. "This is the key to your new office Advisor Leake; you will move inside the office in one week, but until then, enjoy your cramped dwelling in the city."

"Thank you Administrator Breen." Ryan gave the commonplace Combine salute before heading towards the elevator.

"Oh and Ryan, you don't need to worry about curfew anymore, because of your rank I've given you special permissions."

Ryan nodded before returning one last time to the blue metallic Citadel elevator. 

~  
>Our Benefactors<p>

(Epilogue)  
>~<p>

As Ryan walked to his apartment door, he curiously peaked at the one beside him. The door was broken, the wood had been chipped off and it no longer lay on its hinge. It was over this destroyed wood that Ryan slowly entered his neighbor's place, navigating the dusk lit remains of the raided apartment. A lamp lay on the floor, broken, and next to it was a small picture frame, shattered in the same way. Ryan picked the frame up off the floor, and placed it onto his neighbor's kitchen counter, but carefully as if he didn't want to break it.

"Hello? Jack are you here?" Ryan said as he looked all over. He knew that when the Combines came that he was nowhere to be found, he was either hiding with someone else or he had been captured by other means. "Hello? Anyone?"

Nobody answered; Ryan figured he was indeed alone in this abandoned room. He decided to search the room further to search for any possible clues as to his neighbor's disappearance. Jack had recently been acting suspicious; he was even the one who told Ryan about the secret channel a couple of his friends had recently set up. Maybe that's why they came for him… they were suspicious of the activity and though it best to shut it down.

Ryan motioned towards the pantry, if he could see the latest date on a ration; he could determine the last time he was here. But this effort was proven to be futile, there was nothing there, whether it was devoured by him, or stolen by the mysterious thief or confiscated by the Combine soldiers. And then, he heard a sound, a strange, deep, muffled sound, coming from the floor. At first, that's where his eyes checked for the source, but the continuous low noise below him was noticeable at the greatest point at the nearby refrigerator, which stood in an odd position at the back wall of the kitchen.

A few careful steps and Ryan had made his way towards the refrigerator. The Combines no doubt had shut the power to this apartment off once they deemed Jack to be enough of a threat to conduct an armed raid against him, so the refrigerator was sure to have remained off in the time between. Ryan grabbed the handle to the white door and flung it open; to his surprise it was completely empty, except for one component. He reached inside and grabbed something bulky, which had been wrapped in what felt and looked like a brown baking sheet; he wasted no time in ripping the coverings apart, and after this, what lay in his hands reached the deepest parts of his mind, as a reminder of sorts, of what he held long ago.

It was a pistol, long and silver, and rough, not smooth. He hadn't seen a firearm in the hands of anyone other than a Combine soldier in years, and now, here at this very moment he held one in his own hand. It looked like any other gun Ryan had ever seen, but this one struck his memory in a way few other things could. It was the same gun he had used years ago, in that facility. It looked completely identical, it had a star on the left side of the grip which was only slightly below the trigger ,and the hand rested in the same awkward position, and its slide's irregular curving shape made it all the more recognizable.

He remembered Durai, the escape, the fighting, the terror. A day of complete madness intermingled with more encounters at Aperture which only furthered his uneasiness.

And then he remembered his friend, Jack, who recently had voiced certain distaste towards the Combine authority. It would be best not to keep it. Ryan returned the gun to the grate on the refrigerator, but when he did, something in him felt strange in some indefinable way. His hand almost moved by itself to the lower grate, and pulled it as hard as he could. Ryan stood in front of it, as the grate slid in front of him, and the back of the refrigerator opened up, a cause of his uncanny, but deliberate intuition. The rest of the structure slid to make way for the new doorway, Ryan caught the Russian made pistol when it fell into his waiting hands.

Ryan looked behind him to see if anyone was there. When he was sure the way was clear, he descended past the false door, and into the new passageway.

Ryan smiled as he made his way deeper into a small dark corridor. He jumped in shock as the sound of the door behind him came to an immediate close. After this, a small light bulb came to life above him.

He took a deep breath, knowing that he would find a sign of the Combine resistance further, for this had to be a hideout of theirs. Ryan moved onward, and while he did, he passed a yellow symbol, of a lambda enclosed in a circle. He looked at it, and kept going.

The End

~X~X~X~X~X~

Author's Notes: **Well, that's it… end… done, complete, no more… Ryan's journey has come to an end… with Aperture at least. I know this chapter is more Half-life than Portal, but they're rather interchangeable and I also hate you guys so… **

**Yeah, I hope you read this story over and over again and give me long, detailed, positive, well thought out chickens- HAH! You thought I was going to say reviews, true? You didn't even have to read that your mind already thought of what I was going to say. Why then read stories if you already know what's going to happen? So how about you use that little mind of yours to extrapolate something useful?**

**By the way, today while I was on the road, I saw a car with a bumper sticker for Aperture Laboratories. Whoever you are (you know who you are) you're awesome!**

**Bye  
>~Skippy<strong>


End file.
